Guide You Home - The Bittersweet Arc
by GatewaysToInfinity
Summary: The saga continues in the second arc of this story. Wolf and Kiara are just barely managing to survive on their own. The bond between themselves and their Pokémon friends proves to be the most valuable thing that have at this point. However, what will happen to the two children when they encounter humans face to face after so many years?
1. Prologue

_**The saga continues in the second arc of this story. Wolf and Kiara are just barely managing to survive on their own. The bond between themselves and their Pokémon friends proves to be the most valuable thing that have at this point. However, what will happen to the two children when they encounter humans face to face after so many years? One way or another, they will have to draw the fine line between companions and enemies. **_

* * *

"You sure you want to leave this place behind?" Wolf's quiet voice echoed off the cave walls towards Kiara's ears.

Kiara stood in the center of Kangaskhan's den, the place she had called home for so many years. Memories of baby Pokémon scampering about joyfully and getting scolded by their adoptive mother when they wouldn't settle down to eat their meals flashed through her mind. The cave was silent now. Without Kangaskhan, the baby Pokémon had all run off in hopes of finding someone of their species to look after them. The torches inside the cave had all gone out, leaving it looking much darker than usual.

Kiara slowly headed over to the walls of the cave, where countless drawings had accumulated after years had passed since she had shown all the babies how to use mashed berries as paint. The girl lightly brushed the drawings with her hand, almost nostalgically. A cough behind her snapped her attention out of her trance. She turned to the cave entrance to see Wolf and Vulpix standing there, causing her to realize that she hadn't answered the boy's question. Reluctantly, she nodded. "I know that if we stay here, everyday I'll be hoping that Mama will come back…Even though this is a good shelter for the winter, it brings back too many memories…But it's okay!" she sighed, quickly adding the last bit as she saw her friend's gaze soften with sympathy. "We'll be fine! It's probably going to be hard, but we learned a lot about living in the wild over the past couple years. We aren't completely naïve like when we first left the orphanage," she reassured him, though most of her words were to reassure herself.

Wolf nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. We can't stay here waiting for the past to return to us. We've got to shape our own destinies now! I promise that whatever happens to us, I'll look after you Kiara! You too, Vulpix," he smiled down at the fox Pokémon who let out a bark of agreement.

"And I'll look after you too Wolfie! We're gonna be okay!" Kiara giggled positively in return.

"Don't call me Wolfie," was the boy's simple response as he snorted, and though he was serious there was good nature in his tone.

"D'aww, you're no fun!" Kiara whined with a pout face. She cast one last glance around her empty home before facing Wolf again. She didn't know what would happen to them now, but she had faith everything would turn out for the best. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

* * *

_**The character list for this arc can be found on my profile under "The Bittersweet Arc."**_


	2. Chapter One

The quiet atmosphere of the forest was broken by aggressive rustling as something charged through the undergrowth. Bird Pokémon let out alarm calls as they took to the skies, feeling their nests shake vigorously as whatever crashed through the foliage below bumped into the trees. A pale blue shape darted through the forest as quickly as it could, squeezing in between the tiniest gaps.

The Pokémon know as Riolu panted heavily as he sprinted through the forest. Behind him he could hear the snarls and growls coming from his pursuers—a pack of wild Houndoom. He didn't dare look back, knowing that even a slight hesitation could cost him his life. He continued to dash ahead, the undergrowth around him no more than a blur of colors. He felt branches whack at his face as he pushed blindly through them, hearing grunts of frustration behind him to indicate that the pack was also having trouble with the thickening foliage, especially since they were bigger than he was.

Riolu managed to squeeze his way through the low-lying branches, finding a wall of brambles ahead of him. Panic started to rise inside his chest as he whipped his head back and forth to try and find a way around them. A tiny gap amongst the thorns caught his attention. He doubted that he could properly fit through there, but if he could barely fit, that meant the Houndoom wouldn't be able to fit at all.

Riolu rushed towards the hole in the brambles, shoving himself in and ignoring the pain that pricked at his paws from touching their sharp points. Just as he managed to get his whole body through, he heard howls of fury behind him coming from what he guessed was the pack's leader. He began to push his way through more forcefully, ignoring the increasing pain in his body as thorns snagged in his fur.

Riolu let out a wail of pain as he suddenly felt scorching heat against his left arm, instinctively pressing to the right to get away from it. As he sat buried in the brambles, he hesitantly looked back in confusion. His eyes widened upon seeing the largest Houndoom of the pack using a Flamethrower attack on the forest around them. The flames burned away any obstacles in their path, including most of the bramble wall. As Riolu looked to his other side, he saw only an empty spot where the brambles once sat gnarled together. The ground was covered in ash and scattered bits of the tendrils that still remained. He glanced at the stinging feeling in his arm and realized the fire must have grazed him. There was no time to lick the wound, however, now that he was exposed again. He swiftly rolled out of the remains of the bramble wall and dashed across the open space, hearing the pounding of pawsteps behind him as the pack spotted him and continued their chase.

Riolu continued to run ahead of them, clutching his wound with his opposite paw. He was lucky that there weren't too many more obstacles in his path as his vision started to blur with exhaustion. He flinched as he began to feel the hot breath of a Houndoom behind him, picking up the pace as he burst into a clearing. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up; eventually they would catch him and…Riolu let out a yelp as his foot snagged against a moss covered rock, causing him to trip and land flat on his face. He shakily attempted to push himself up again, glancing over his shoulder to see where the pack had gone. His eyes widened to see them prowling towards him slowly, dragging their tongues over their drooling jaws and hunger gleaming in their eyes. He shut his eyes, knowing there was no way he could escape in this state. He braced himself for his skin to be met with sharp fangs until he heard a shrill voice out of nowhere.

"Come on Quagsire, help out with Hydro Pump!" the peppy voice said. Riolu watched as the pack's attention was averted to somewhere behind him, their eyes gleaming with a mixture of confusion and frustration. Not a moment later they were filled with alarm as Riolu watched a massive stream of water hit their bodies, knocking them to the ground. The super-effective move didn't end there, continuing to spray them with powerful gushes of water. They yelped and wailed as they took damage from the attack, soon fleeing from the scene back from there they came.

Riolu panted quietly, nearly shocked by how quickly that turn of events had occurred. His vision was completely blurred now, and he felt dizzy, but he still managed to hear light footsteps approaching him. He wondered if he should try to get away from whatever had attacked the Houndoom pack in case it was going to hurt him as well, but he couldn't find the energy to move a muscle. As he lay in the grass, his consciousness slipping, he heard a soothing voice echo through his ears.

"Don't worry, you're going to be okay…"

Riolu blinked his eyes open slowly, his vision blurred. As he lifted his head up, his vision started to clear, revealing him to be in a quiet clearing. He felt the texture of a nest underneath him, and he glanced down at his pelt to see not a single thorn entangled in his fur. In the process, he also noticed that his burn was wrapped in some kind of white material. Though it still stung, it didn't hurt nearly as much as before. He returned his gaze back to his surroundings, spotting a ball of soaked moss and a few Oran berries next to his nest. Around him, the clearing was rather small and secluded, sunlight streaming through the branches above. A cool breeze ruffled the tops of the trees, sending yellow-green leaves fluttering to the ground—the first signs of autumn. The emanation Pokémon squinted as he spotted a flash of color against the brown trunks of the trees, realizing that there was a berry store inside the hollow. _It is getting colder, so some of the wild Pokémon must be stocking away food for the cold season,_ he thought.

Riolu suddenly realized something. His last memory was someone saving him from the Houndoom pack. As he gazed around at the clearing, he noticed it was different from the one he had been cornered in. _Someone must've brought me here and took care of me…I wonder how long I've been out._ He gazed around, wondering if that creature would come back soon.

As if summoned, Riolu's ears twitched as he heard a rustling in the forest around him. His eyes focused on a shaking shrub, watching with interest as a strangely colored Vulpix strode into the clearing. However, he soon became confused as some other creature followed after it. It didn't have the scent of a Pokémon, but walked on two legs like he did. He thought back to the memories of him just hatching from his egg, nuzzling next to his mother. She would tell him stories of all the Pokémon he would encounter in his lifetime, and she had mentioned another creature to him. _Is that a "human?"_ he pondered, tilting his head in slight curiosity and the two approached.

"Oh, he's awake!" the human piped up in awe. Judging by the voice, Riolu noticed it was female.

"How are you feeling?" the uncanny-colored Vulpix barked, sitting down next to his nest.

Riolu blinked. "I'm okay…Who are you guys?" he asked, his gaze flickering between the two.

"I'm Vulpix. I don't know if you've ever encountered a shiny Pokémon before, but that's why I might look a little different from any other Vulpix you've seen," the fox Pokémon explained.

Riolu nodded slowly, glancing at the human girl as he waited for her to introduce herself as well. However, Vulpix seemed to notice this and quickly put in, "She can't understand Pokémon speech."

Riolu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Then how could I understand her?"

Vulpix shrugged. "Dunno. All I know is that unless we learn their speech, they only hear noises when we talk to each other. They can sometimes figure out what we mean by gestures and such, but for them it's like trying to communicate with someone that can't speak. It's not all that frustrating once you get used to it though," he mumbled, glanced at the human girl.

Riolu sniffed, not really liking the idea of not being able to properly communicate with humans. _I suppose it makes things easier if I can at least understand what they say to me._

Meanwhile, the girl was staring at Riolu, her unique violet eyes gleaming with interest. As soon as she saw his attention on her, she began to speak. "Hi there. He might've already told you, but my name's Kiara and that's Vulpix. We could hear all that ruckus you and the pack of Houndoom were making. Heck, I think the whole forest must've heard! Anyways, I saw that you were in trouble and got some of my wild Quagsire friends to help. Then we brought you here and took care of you. You've been out for a day or so," Kiara explained to him.

Riolu nodded, figuring that the story made sense. "Thank you," he told her gratefully, realizing too late that she wouldn't understand him.

However, Kiara merely tilted her head at him with a smile. "You're welcome, Riolu. We'll help you out as long as you need us. Then you can go back to the wild if you want. Make sure you eat those berries. They'll help bring up your strength while giving you something to eat as well. We'll come back to check on your soon, giving you more berries and water if you need it," she murmured gently, beginning to turn away.

"See you later Riolu. Oh, and don't worry about any hostile Pokémon coming here. This place is sheltered from practically anything. It's why we made it our camp," he told the emanation Pokémon. With that, the fox Pokémon trotted after Kiara and left the clearing.

Riolu watched them go until the shrub where they had vanished stopped quivering. He gazed around the clearing, noticing how sheltered it really was. Grabbing an Oran berry to munch on, he examined the huge leaves that seemed to act like a barrier. From the outside he guessed the border of the clearing looked like an impassible wall. Swallowing the last bit of the fruit, he curled up in his nest of leaves and feathers. He didn't know how much he could trust these strangers, but if they saved him, they couldn't be that bad.

***

"There, all better. It'll take another few weeks for all your fur to grow back, but the burn itself should be all healed," Kiara told Riolu, discarding the gauze that had covered his wound.

It had taken a week for Riolu's burn to heal, though the Rawst berries Kiara had given him had certainly helped the process along. It had been slightly frustrating to just lie in his nest all day, with the exception of wandering around the clearing now and then. The others always seemed to be out, only returning around noon and in the evening. However, they still managed to bring him food and water and check on him when they were in the camp, so he didn't have much to complain about.

In those seven days, Riolu had met a human boy named Wolf, who Vulpix had called his best friend and partner. He was an interesting character. He seemed rather reserved and serious, always trying to focus on some type of task. Compared to Kiara, it was almost like he was her exact opposite. The girl was always bubbly and cheerful, a lot more playful and carefree than he was. If Riolu had to choose, he figured that he would probably like Kiara more. Besides, for some reason, she seemed to be taking an extra interest to him.

Kiara was now rising to her feet, gathering anything that they didn't need. "Well Riolu, this means you're all better now. If you have a home to go back to, we won't keep you here," she told him softly.

Riolu glanced at the ground awkwardly. He actually didn't have a place to call home—not anymore. He was too young to take care of himself, not to mention the Houndoom pack was probably still out in the forest somewhere. His gaze wandered around the clearing. Would this group let him stay, at least until he was strong enough to take care of himself? He looked at Kiara, unsure about how to tell her what he wanted to.

Kiara tilted her head slightly before nodding in understanding. "You can stay here if you like. I mean, it's just the three of us, so there's plenty of room. The others will welcome you, I'm sure. Even Wolf won't mind, even if he does seem unwelcoming on the outside. Sure, he's a little on the serious, stern side, but he means well. He just wants to make sure we survive and thinks that playing games wastes time," she offered, sighing at the end as she described her human friend.

Riolu nodded slowly, knowing that Vulpix wouldn't mind since he was friendly enough, and this new information reassured him that Wolf didn't secretly hate them all. "Thanks," he said, his tone full of gratitude. He figured since she had understood him every other time when he said that, she would this time too.

"It's completely fine," Kiara smiled at him in response, beginning to turn away. "Well, I need to get back out there again and make sure to take out this trash. We're going to be home a lot later than normal tonight, just so you know," she told him, beginning to head towards the clearing's edge.

Riolu blinked in surprise, rising from his nest and trotting after her. "Wait, I'm coming with you!" he called. He had been stuck in the camp for a whole week, and he would like to see the forest again. He had gotten restless, and he certainly wasn't going to wait until tomorrow to go out when there was still a bit of daylight left.

Kiara gazed back at him in confusion. "Well, I suppose you can come with if you'd like," she mumbled somewhat uncertainly. "Just to be safe though, stay with me okay?"

Riolu nodded, not that he was planning to go off on his own anyways. Waiting for Kiara to push her way through the broad leaves, he followed after her into the forest ahead.

The forest was just as Riolu had always remembered it. The trees swayed in the breeze, covering the ground with their changing leaves. There was less birdsong than during the pinnacle of summer, but Riolu knew it was because the bird Pokémon were beginning to migrate before winter arrived. The sun was hidden behind the trees as evening approached, changing the blue sky into the warmer colors of red, orange, and yellow. Even though this was his second time seeing fall, the sight still made him stare in awe at its beauty.

Riolu continued to follow Kiara through the quiet forest, blinking in surprise as he found that it suddenly ended as they reached the edge. He halted just outside, watching as the girl headed towards a cube shaped structure. She walked over to a small bin and disposed of the items they didn't need inside. As Riolu took a whiff, he could smell human garbage inside. While Kiara was making her way back to him, he looked around at the forest-less area, where more of these structures sat. The scent of humans was strong in this area, overpowering that of the Pokémon there as well. He thought back to the stories his mother had told him and wondered if these were the human settlements called "cities" and "towns."

Kiara sighed as she sat down at the edge of the forest with Riolu, just outside enough to see the settlement but still sheltered in case anyone looked their way. "I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but this is Columius Town. That over there," she pointed to a structure that was slightly larger than the others. "Is Professor Palm's Lab. She's a person that studies Pokémon. When a kid turns ten, they can get their first Pokémon from her and begin their journey."

Riolu tilted his head slightly in confusion. What did she mean by "get their first Pokémon?" He somewhat recalled his mother telling him about humans who capture Pokémon in small capsules, but it had sounded so absurd that he hadn't really believed it.

"There's a catch to this, however," Kiara continued. "You need an adult confirmation. For normal families, it could be someone's mom and dad. For people in the orphanage, it's the head people that work there," she mumbled.

Riolu gazed at her in bewilderment upon hearing the word "orphanage."

Kiara noticed this and blinked apologetically. "An orphanage, in case you're wondering, is a building where they keep and take care of orphaned children; you know, people without parents who are too young to take care of themselves. Wolf and I used to live there a couple of years ago, but we ran away because we didn't feel like it would lead us anywhere in our futures. Of course then, we were much younger and more naïve, and got attacked by a Zangoose pack. They nearly got us, until a wild Kangaskhan saved us. She was really nice, and could talk like us. She pretty much became out mother figure as we decided to live with her over the years. In a way, Kangaskhan had her own little orphanage because she took care of baby Pokémon that had lost their parents one way or another. Everything was fine until a couple months back, bad people took her away…All the baby Pokémon ran off to find new homes, and Wolf, Vulpix, and I were the only ones left…We're on our own now, but we're doing our best," she sighed, trailing off sorrowfully.

Riolu couldn't help but gaze at her sympathetically. He wondered what would've happened if Kangaskhan were still around. Would she have saved him from the pack like she did with the two children? He probably would've ended up living there too, since his parents weren't around anymore either. Hesitantly, he reached out and placed a paw on Kiara's hand, knowing all too well what it was like to lose someone you relied on and cared about so much.

Kiara looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to go off on a tangent there. The point of the matter is, even though Wolf is of age to get a starter Pokémon and I'm nearly there as well, we can't get one because we don't have a family and aren't affiliated with the orphanage anymore. So these past few days we've been planning on sneaking into the lab and taking it ourselves! Plus, there's bound to be more supplies we can use. What do you think Riolu? Would you like to help us out here?" Kiara asked hopefully.

Riolu blinked at her, unsure of how to handle this new information. Wouldn't they get in trouble if this Professor found out her Pokémon and supplies were stolen? He didn't respond at first, gazing down at the ground in thought.

"What's he doing here Kiara?" Wolf growled, startling Riolu out of his thoughts. The boy was standing not far from them, deeper in the forest than they were with Vulpix sitting at his feet.

"He's decided he's going to stay with us, and he wanted to come with me here, so I didn't stop him," Kiara sniffed simply.

Wolf's eyes narrowed. "Well if he wants to stay, then he has no choice but to help us," he snorted.

"That's not fair! He just decided today, and you're already trying to order him around?" Kiara snarled back furiously.

"Kiara, this is our life now. This won't be the only time we steal. It's the only way we're going to be able to survive. If he wants to stay, he has to be okay with the life we're going to lead," Wolf explained more calmly.

Kiara's rage had settled down as she realized he was probably right. Her gaze turned back to the emanation Pokémon. "Well Riolu, the choice is yours I guess. What are you going to do?" she asked quietly.

Riolu's eyes flickered between the two humans. To be honest, he didn't really understand the concept of stealing other than if you stole another Pokémon's prey, you'd be lucky to keep all your limbs afterwards. So far, humans didn't seem all that threatening. Plus, his mother had told him that humans didn't have powers or types or anything of the sort like Pokémon. It couldn't be that bad to steal from humans then, right? Returning to the present, he looked at the two who were staring at him expectantly. After a moment, he nodded to them. "I'll help you."


	3. Chapter Two

Riolu crouched with his ear pressed against the cold stone of the building, quivering with fear. The four of them had made their way towards the lab and now hid against the side of it where no one would spot them.

"You have to get inside now or the Professor will lock up her laboratory and we won't be able to get in stealthily!" Wolf hissed to the emanation Pokémon from where he sat hidden in a bush. Kiara and Vulpix were hidden there as well.

Wolf and Kiara had told Riolu that he needed to sneak in through the window and wait inside until the Professor and her workers were all gone. Then from there, he could open the window for the others outside. "We're too big to hide properly, and Vulpix can't open windows that well," Kiara had told him.

However, now that the time had come, Riolu was terrified. What would this lab look like? What if they caught him hiding inside? So many doubts flickered in his mind, but as he met Wolf's frustrated glare, he found that it scared him more. Taking a deep breath, he got to his feet and peered through the open window inside.

It was a strange environment, full of items he had never seen in the forest. Everything was rather bland-colored, only white and grey. He perked his ears, hearing voices inside, but they were faint, so Riolu assumed it was coming from another section of the building. He heaved himself upward, maneuvering himself through the window carefully. Once he was through, he gently dropped down onto the ground, flinching at how cold it was. He glanced down at his feet, seeing rows of white tiles covering the entire floor. Riolu rubbed his foot against it, knowing that it was the smoothest stone he had ever felt,

"Victoria darling, come right this way!" a sudden voice caused Riolu to jump in surprise. He was so lost in the uncanny environment that he had forgotten to keep alert for the people inside. He swiftly dove behind one of the things Kiara had called a "table," shaking in fright. His ears twitched as he tried to locate where this human was coming from so he could move to another hiding spot if he needed to.

Riolu's ears were met with the click-clack of the human's footsteps heading in his direction. He flinched as it got closer, fearing that the human had spotted him. His eyes widened as he saw a shadow appear just in front of him, a body soon following after it. It was a female human, much larger than Kiara. Her skin was pale and slightly wrinkled, and over it she wore a long white coat with other human clothing underneath. The items on her feet seemed to be the cause of her hard-sounding footsteps, though he assumed the smooth tiles underneath them were probably factors as well. Her thin grey-brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun. Though she looked rather old, she still strode with proper posture and confidence. The woman was barely a few feet away from Riolu, but she didn't even notice him as she shut the window where he had entered from and walked away again.

"Coming Professor Palm!" a quieter, younger voice sounded nearby as well. Riolu crawled over to the other end of the table, hesitantly peering out to where he thought the two humans were. He immediately spotted a smaller girl, slightly older than both Kiara and Wolf. She wore a similar outfit to the professor, though she had long, flowing black hair.

Professor Palm continued to close any windows that were open, walking to and fro around her lab. "You did well today dear. Soon you'll be talented enough to be called Professor Love!" the older woman praised with a warm smile.

Victoria's eyes widened with joy and admiration. "Oh, thank you Professor! It's all thanks to you," she mumbled in response.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! It's not _all_ my doing. Come now," Professor Palm insisted, shutting off most of the lights in the building after flipping a few switches on the wall. "We have to get your home. Tomorrow we have quite a few new trainers coming in to pick their starters!" she told her excitedly, holding the front door open for the young girl.

"How exciting! I can't wait," Victoria cheered, exiting the building with a nod to the professor. With that, Palm followed after her, locking the door behind her.

Riolu remained where he was, alert in case the two decided to return for any reason. After several moments, he hesitantly rose to his feet, reapproaching the window. He grabbed the buttom of the frame and heaved, his ears twitching fearfully at the loud noises it made as he pulled it all the way up. "It's clear!" he called to the three outside, backing up a bit to give them room once they entered.

Kiara was the first to crawl through after Riolu heard the rustling of the bush outside. She managed to get through quite easily, placing her feet on the floor gently. The girl gazed around the room with as much awe as Riolu had. "Wow…" she breathed quietly.

Vulpix's head was the next to poke through. Riolu saw Wolf behind him, helping the fox Pokémon into the building. Vulpix scrambled on the window pane for a moment before leaping down into the lab with the others.

Wolf was the last to squeeze through, struggling slightly since he was bigger than the rest of them. After several moments, the boy plopped down on the inside with the others, panting quietly. "Okay…We're in," he mumbled, gazing around the area. "Kiara, you take Riolu and try and find the starters. Vulpix and I will start hoarding this place for supplies," he instructed, pulling out a black square from his pocket, though as he unfolded it, it revealed to be a large bag.

"Wow," Kiara breathed again, slowly trotting into the next room over. "Believe it or not, it's been so long since I've been inside a building," she told the emanation Pokémon.

Riolu followed after her with a grunt of acknowledgement. His feet had finally gotten used to the texture of the floor below him, but it was still strange. He gazed around the room, his eyes narrowing as it was suddenly filled with light as Kiara flipped some switches on. This light was much different from sunlight; it felt mechanical and unnatural. In fact, everything inside this building felt fake since it seemed to have originated from naturals things in the forest, but altered for the humans' needs. He wondered for a moment if all the human structures were like this on the inside. _No._ Riolu shook his head at the thought. There must be other human structures like dens that they called home. _Do humans have other buildings like this, where they only serve a specific purpose?_ he thought curiously. Whatever the answer, he knew for sure that they all would be a little strange-looking in their interiors.

"Hey Riolu, I think I found them!" Kiara's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Riolu blinked, realizing that while the girl was scurrying about the room, he had simply stood there staring at everything, lost in his mind. His eyes focused on the source of the voice, where Kiara was standing on her toes to peer inside some type of glass container on a pedestal. There were three rows of theses containers with two in each row.

Riolu quickly headed towards Kiara's side, also standing on his toes to peer through the glass. His eyes widened upon seeing three red and white capsules inside the container. Were these the objects humans used to capture Pokémon? He blinked as he spotted something sitting in front of the three spheres. It was gold and rectangular-shaped, and as he squinted, he thought he could make out writing on it that he couldn't understand.

"Kanto," Kiara said to him, pointing at the gold object. "These are the three starters from Kanto—Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander," she explained, lifting her head up and glancing towards the other pedestals. "Wolf and I are looking for starters from different regions, so they're probably in one of the other containers, she mumbled, stepping away from the glass dome and walking towards the next row ahead.

Riolu trotted after the girl, blinking in surprise as she peered into the next container before pulling away just as quickly as she had reached it. He picked up the pace so he was right next to Kiara, following her to the next pedestal.

"That container had the Johto starters, and we aren't looking for those either," Kiara explained as they reached the third one. As she pressed her forehead against the glass to look inside, Riolu doing the same, her eyes seemed to brighten. "The Hoenn starters! Wolf wants one from this region. I'll tell him where they are once he catches up," she mumbled, pulling away from the pedestal and walking over to the pedestals on the other side.

Riolu followed along, finding that every single container enclosed three capsules, all the same color, and those golden-plaque things with human writing on them, which he assumed were the names of the regions. Kiara said that the Sinnoh starters weren't what she was looking for either, whatever that meant. Finally at the fifth pedestal, the girl's eyes lit up just as they had before.

"Unova! Bingo," Kiara smiled gleefully. "Now how do we open this…" she trailed off thoughtfully as she leaned back slightly, inspecting the entire container. "Maybe this?" she glanced at Riolu for a moment as she pointed to a pale blue button sitting right where the pedestal and glass met.

The emanation Pokémon simply shrugged in response. "It couldn't hurt to try."

Kiara nodded slowly, pressing the button. As it was pushed in, Riolu heard a click, and his eyes widened as the glass dome disconnected from the pedestal, minus the section at the back. The container's cover swung slowly back, leaving the three capsules and plaque exposed to the two. Riolu felt Kiara quivering next to him in excitement. "This is amazing! Okay, so the order goes…Grass, fire, water," she smiled widely, point to each ball as she named off the types. With that, she grasped the third capsule in her hand. "Oh, I can't wait to get out of here and meet you, new friend!" she spoke to the sphere as if it were an actual living thing.

Riolu's ears twitched at this, his eyes focused on the red and white capsule. Once again, it seemed as if humans and Pokémon were actually very close. _So there's actually a Pokémon in there?_ he thought, almost in disbelief. He didn't know of any Pokémon small enough to fit inside. Perhaps there was some type of magic that shrunk the creature before sucking them inside? _What's it like in there? Is it really dark and lonely, or is there a small room inside for me to relax in? Would I know what's going on in the outside world, or am I completely oblivious until my trainer lets me out? Can I even get out on my own, or am I just at the mercy of my master?_ So many questions were reeling through Riolu's mind at once. However, despite the curiosities, he knew for certain he'd never want to be inside one of those capsules himself. _I'm going to be my own Pokémon. Even if I do befriend a human, there's no way I'll let it capture me in one of those spheres!_ he thought determinedly. The emanation Pokémon was suddenly jolted out of his mind as he heard a scraping sound against the ground, causing him to whip his head around.

Riolu let his fur lay flat once he realized it was just Wolf and Vulpix. The fox Pokémon was padding towards Kiara and him with the boy following after. The scraping noise had been the black bag dragging across the ground, filled to the brim now with different supplies. All the different scents mingled together, making it hard for the emanation Pokémon to pick out anything specific.

"Did you find the starters?" Wolf rasped, panting from the effort of carrying his now heavy load.

"Uh-huh! Yours should be in that container over there," Kiara smiled triumphantly, showing off the capsule in her hand before pointing at the pedestal that carried the Hoenn starter Pokémon.

Wolf sniffed in acknowledgement, dropping his bad gently on the ground before heading towards the container, Vulpix scurrying after him. Kiara meanwhile reached for the glass dome of the container she had just opened, moving it slowly and shutting it carefully. The only thing that gave away it had been touched, Riolu noticed, was that one of the capsules was missing. The emanation Pokémon followed after the girl as she headed towards the bag to wait for Wolf and his partner to return. Just a few moments later the boy reappeared, also carrying a red and white sphere. "That's all we need from here. Let's go," he reported, opening his bag to drop the capsule inside before shutting it again and hauling the load over his shoulder.

Riolu followed after the two children with Vulpix as they exited the room. Wolf shut off the unnatural lights with a flip of the switches, leaving them in near darkness. The emanation Pokémon spotted the fading daylight through the window they had entered from, the lab furniture simply dark blocks in his vision now. As his eyes began to adjust, he spotted Kiara scurry ahead to get to the window first and crawl through to the outside. Wolf's figure, clearer by the window, took the stuffed bag and began to push it through the gap.

"Catch it on the other side!" The boy grunted as he tried to slide it through without ripping the plastic or possibly even damaging the window. Riolu watched as he seemed to shift the contents on the inside by pushing them around a bit, until finally the bag slipped through. "There! Okay, come on Vulpix," Wolf sniffed with satisfaction, turning back to his partner and scooping him into his arms. With that, he helped the fox Pokémon through and then began to climb through himself.

Riolu was the last to climb out, heaving himself up into the open window. He carefully maneuvered his body so that his feet would land first on the outside before dropping himself gently on the ground.

"Shut the window!" Wolf ordered as he swung the bag back over his shoulder.

Riolu waved his tail in acknowledgement, reaching back up to the window pane and climbing it again. Grasping the window in his paws, he slowly pulled it down like he had seen Professor Palm do it, though he attempted not to make as much noise. With a quiet thud, the emanation Pokémon closed the window and leapt back down onto the grass.

"Good," Wolf mumbled with approval, his gaze wavering over the others. "Now let's get out of here," he growled, nodding to Vulpix. The fox Pokémon then began to lead the way back from where they had came, though now in the darkness as the last of the fading sunlight vanished.

Riolu hung in the back with Kiara, Wolf a few feet ahead as he followed after his partner. The emanation Pokémon felt triumph bubble inside him. They had done it! Breaking into the lab and taking the supplies had certainly been a lot easier than he expected. He glanced at Kiara, who was still clutching her capsule. Her eyes still gleamed with excitement, as if she couldn't wait to let whatever Pokémon inside out. Riolu himself was actually quite curious as to which Pokémon would be inside and if he could befriend them. It still baffled him that the Pokémon inside the capsule now belonged to Kiara. Though he didn't think she'd misuse the creature, what if a Pokémon got a bad trainer? What would they do then? The emanation Pokémon shook his head to clear it, feeling like he had done too much thinking in such a short amount of time.

Riolu let out a yawn, inhaling the familiar forest scents. The air was certainly fresher here than back in Columius Town. His ears twitched as he heard the rustling the four were making as they pushed through the undergrowth. The breeze from earlier that day had settled down, though the night's natural chill was enough to keep him cool. The emanation Pokémon's ears were also met with the symphony of cricket chirps and other creatures of the night as they mingled about just as the daylight creatures did during the day. He rubbed his eyes, knowing that he would always dwell in the sun. After all, his species relied on the daylight to evolve. Just as he was about to imagine what his evolution would be like, he spotted the broad leaves that sheltered the camp through the darkness. He pushed his way through after the others, relishing the fact that soon they would be able to rest for the night.

Wolf had dropped his load again, beginning to open up the bag. "Alright Kiara, ready to let them out?" he asked as he retrieved his capsule from his bag, a hint of excitement in his tone.

Kiara nodded swiftly in return, glancing down at the sphere in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she tossed the ball into the air. "Oshawott, come on out!" she called.

Riolu's eyes widened in awe as he watched the capsule open upon command. White light flashed out of it to touch the ground. In this white light, he blinked in shock as the body of the sea otter Pokémon appeared. With that, the white light vanished as the capsule closed again, falling neatly back into Kiara's palms.

"Treecko, your turn!" Wolf called out enthusiastically, slightly to Riolu's surprise. The same process occurred with the boy's new Pokémon as the wood gecko Pokémon appeared next to Oshawott.

"Wow, look at this place!" Oshawott admired as he stretched his tiny limbs.

"I haven't seen a forest since the Professor caught us," Treecko agreed, crossing his arms and nodding. "It's a lot easier on the eyes than those unnatural grey and white colors inside the lab. It was like we were stuck in one of those black and white movies she showed us!"

Oshawott gazed around with a sniff of agreement before his eyes fell upon the two children who were staring at them with wide eyes. "Hey Treecko, I think those are our trainers! Looks like some of them must've showed up early," he told him, his eyes focusing on Kiara and the capsule she held. "That's my Pokéball! Hi there! I'm Oshawott!" the sea other Pokémon cheered as he scampered over to the girl.

Kiara looked like she was about to burst with happiness. "You're real and here! I never thought I'd see the day where you'd be mine, Oshawott," she smiled, scooping him up into her arms. "I promise we'll work real hard together and be good friends! My name's Kiara by the way."

"Hey, you're nice! I like you Kiara!" Oshawott grinned, waving his tail in delight as he was picked up. "I have no doubt I'll get along just great with you."

Riolu watched the scene for a moment, quite surprised by how quickly Oshawott trusted Kiara. Then again, it seemed like he and Treecko were already used to being around humans. He tore his gaze away from them to watch Wolf and Treecko.

"I'm not that great, but I do hope you enjoy me as your trainer. I'll do my best to make you happy!" Wolf was telling the wood gecko Pokémon, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

Treecko smiled at the boy in amusement. "I'm sure you'd do just fine mister Wolf," he promised, though Riolu knew that these Pokémon couldn't speak human speech either, or the two children would've certainly made a big deal about it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Treecko. I'm Vulpix," the fox Pokémon introduced himself with a friendly smile.

"Nice to meet ya Vulpix. I'm Treecko as you probably already guessed. I heard the Professor talk about shiny Pokémon before, but I never thought I'd actually see one in person," he admitted, gazing at him with interest.

Vulpix simply shrugged. "It's got its ups and downs."

"Come on guys, everyone gather around!" Wolf called, beckoning Kiara, Oshawott and Riolu towards his bag. "Let me show you all the stuff I got!"

Riolu trotted after Oshawott and Kiara, sitting down in front of Wolf and his bag with the others.

The boy was digging into the supplies, as if debating what to take out first. His hands reappeared a few moments later, carrying little multi-colored devices. "I got us all kinds of Potions and status healers!" he grinned in delight, dumping them before the group.

"But Wolf, why would we need those when we got berries and other natural remedies?" Kiara asked in confusion.

"These are obviously for more serious wounds! That's why we have to save these unless we absolutely need them, especially for the winter until the berries come back," Wolf answered with an edge in his tone. "Anyways, next object!" he sniffed before anyone could interrupt him again. He dug into his bag again, pulling out several red and white capsules a moment later. "Pokéballs to help us catch some wild Pokémon!" he grinned excitedly, dumping them on top of the potions.

"Wow!" Kiara exclaimed, scooping a few of them into her hands. "Now we can get even more Pokémon!" she smiled as she looked up at Wolf again.

Wolf nodded in return, grabbing one of the Pokéballs and beckoning to Vulpix. Once the fox Pokémon padded towards him, he held out the capsule in front of him. "Looks like it's time to actually claim you as my Pokémon," he mumbled with a small smile.

"I wouldn't have wanted it any other way, Charlie," Vulpix smiled before pressing his nose against the button in the center. Riolu watched in astonishment as the capsule opened, engulfing Vulpix in a red light. The fox Pokémon's form vanished in the light, which in turn retreated into the Pokéball. Once it closed again, the capsule shook three times in Wolf's palm before it stopped with a click, the button in the center flashing for a moment. With that, Wolf let Vulpix back out again just as he had with Treecko.

Riolu was quite shocked that Vulpix had so easily decided to go inside one of those "Pokéballs." In just moments, he had given up his freedom to Wolf, and now belonged to the boy. Then again, perhaps there is no doubt when a Pokémon and human have gotten close enough. Either way, the idea still baffled Riolu.

"Hey…" Kiara's voice startled the emanation Pokémon out of his thoughts. "Since Wolf has two Pokémon and I have one…Riolu, do you wanna be my Pokémon?" she asked suddenly, holding out one of her Pokéballs before him.

Riolu's eyes widened in disbelief at the statement. He immediately scooted away from the girl and the capsule. "No way! I'm not going in one of those things!" he growled, his fur fluffing up in hostility. He didn't think Kiara was a bad person or anything, but he didn't know her long enough to just willingly be captured by her.

Kiara blinked at him almost in disappointment. She gazed down at the Pokéball before shaking her head and putting it away. When she returned her gaze to Riolu, it was full of determination. "You know what, who needs a Pokéball anyways? I'll befriend you without capturing you, Riolu! I promise we'll still end up being good friends without that device!" she vowed.

Riolu blinked in surprise, letting his fur lay flat again. He had expected the girl to be angry with his refusal, yet here she was taking it better than he had imagined. "Okay…I like that idea better. But I still won't ever get inside a Pokéball," he muttered.

Before Kiara could reply, Wolf was coughing to gain their attention again. "Ahem. I think you all need to see this," he sniffed, reaching into the bag and pulling out a red-orange stone. "Vulpix and I have been discussing it for a long time, and we decided it's time for him to evolve. After all, winter will be here soon, and if he evolves, his fur and his stronger flames will probably be the stuff that keeps us alive," he told them solemnly.

Riolu's eyes wavered towards the fox Pokémon, wondering how the two partners had discussed such a big decision when they couldn't actually speak to each other. Either way, they did have a point. Vulpix's fire power would be stronger once he evolved, which would prove useful in the cold season. He glanced at the rock in Wolf's hand, knowing now that it must be a Fire Stone.

Wolf turned to face Vulpix, holding the stone before him. "You ready?"

Vulpix nodded certainly. "Ready, Wolf," he answered, reaching out and pressing his nose against the Fire Stone.  
Riolu watched with interest as the process began. The fox Pokémon's body became cloaked in a white light, similar but different to the light that released Pokémon from their Pokéballs. Vulpix's figure became almost unrecognizable as it morphed, growing in size and the number of tails the Pokémon had increasing. The process continued for a moment longer, most likely the final touches, until finally the white light vanished, leaving a blue-grey Ninetales sitting before them. Riolu had forgotten that the fox Pokémon would remain shiny after evolution. He also looked older than before, as if he had gone from a preteen to adult in a matter of seconds.

Ninetales gazed down at his new body, lifting a paw and examining it. "Well this certainly feels different, but I know how to work with this at the same time. Interesting," he rumbled, placing his paw back on the ground. As his gaze lifted, he blinked in confusion to see Wolf and Kiara staring at him with wide eyes. "W-What?" I know I evolved, but you two look like you've seen a ghost," he chuckled uncomfortably.

"Ninetales…You can talk…We understand you," Wolf explained slowly, still staring at his partner in amazement.

"Really? I didn't even notice…I guess there was something different about my voice, but I thought it had just gotten deeper," Ninetales admitted. "Well, I suppose this is a new advantage of me evolving. I can speak to you both, and translate Pokémon language if needed," he mumbled, his gaze traveling across everyone in the clearing.

"That's really great Ninetales…" Wolf yawned, rubbing his eyes. "I'm glad you evolved. Talking to you will make things a lot easier. But even if you didn't, you'd still be the best partner ever," he smiled drowsily.

*Ninetales tilted his head at the boy before rising to his paws and padding to his side. "Come now young Master, you look exhausted. You children need your rest. All that's left in the bag is medical supplies and food. We can check that out and put it away in the morning," he nudged him gently with his snout.

"Yeah, I am getting pretty tired. We've been up pretty late Wolf," Kiara yawned in agreement.

Wolf let out a sigh. "Fine; we can go to bed now. You can stay out here like usual Ninetales," he told him, reaching for Treecko's Pokéball. "I'll let you back out once I wake up," he promised, returning the wood gecko Pokémon to its capsule.

"Same to you Oshawott," Kiara smiled as she returned the sea otter Pokémon in the same matter. She then turned to Riolu. "C'mon, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping from now on. It's not much of a change; you'll just be closer to us. I hope you don't mind sharing my nest until tomorrow. I'm too tired to move yours right now," she murmured to him.

"I don't mind," Riolu replied, following after the girl as she headed towards several nests herded around the largest tree in the camp. He heard Ninetales and Wolf following after behind him, probably heading to the nests as well.

Kiara climbed into the nest on the left side, while Ninetales climbed in first into the other nest. Once the fox Pokémon was curled up comfortably, Wolf climbed into the same nest with his partner, resting his head on his furry flank.

Riolu blinked at the small space, knowing he'd have to be back to back with the girl if they were both going to fit. Carefully, he climbed in after her, curling up with his spine brushing against hers. He let out a small sigh, having forgotten the feeling of sleeping next to another body. He almost missed it. Forcing the thought out of his mind, he focused on a happier one. Riolu knew he would have to evolve once he reached the pinnacle of courage and happiness in the daylight. He wondered what the scenario would be once that day came, and if it would be as meaningful if not more than Ninetales's evolution.

"Hey Riolu," Kiara's whisper caught the emanation Pokémon's attention. "I meant it when I said we'll be good friends. In case you doubt it, well…don't. We may not be much, but we're all a family, even if we aren't your average one. We'll look out for each other…I promise I'll look after you, even if you don't. Anyways, it's late…Goodnight Riolu," the girl yawned as her voice trailed off softly.

Riolu blinked, not expecting the sudden speech. He may not know any of these people or Pokémon well yet, but the way they made promises was sincere. Somehow, he knew he could trust them. He honestly hoped Kiara would stay true to her promise. It wouldn't hurt to have someone to rely on, human or Pokémon. Letting out a yawn, Riolu twitched his tail. "Goodnight Kiara…"


	4. Chapter Three

Kiara stretched her arms out above her as she trotted along with Oshawott and Riolu at her sides. The breeze ruffled the leaves above, which were mostly warm colors now. Only very faint traces of the green they once were remained. _Fall is coming so quickly…Soon enough it'll be winter. I hope our camp will be able to shelter us from the cold,_ she thought, shuddering as she imagined the cold winds and obscene amounts of snow that would cover the forest like a white blanket.

The girl began to tug at her jeans, which were covered with dirt and grit and retained many grass stains. She was beginning to outgrow them, and there were many tears in them from all the climbing she did. Without Kangaskhan, she couldn't clean them or repair them, and she didn't know where her mother had even gotten their clothes from. _Wolf and I are gonna have to find some new clothes somehow,_ she thought with a grunt.

"Osh-Oshawott!" the call of her Pokémon suddenly jolted Kiara out of her worries of the near future. She looked up, spotting Oshawott pointing up at a tree with a few apples still hanging from the branches. She had forgotten that the reason they were out right now was because Wolf had sent them to find as much food as they could for the winter before the cold killed off whatever was left.

"Coming!" Kiara called back, picking up the pace until she was directly under the tree the sea otter Pokémon had gestured to. Without hesitation she grasped the bark with her hands and began to climb up the trunk, digging her shoes into the wood as she went up to help propel herself into the branches. The grips that were in the bottoms helped as well in her endeavor. Within moments she was sitting amongst the multi-color leaves, waiting for the branches to stop shaking before she reached for the fruit.

Kiara peered through the gaps down below to see Riolu waiting for her with a basket in hand, ready for the apples to fall down below. It was one of the few supplies she and Wolf had brought with them when they had left Kangaskhan's den behind. She hated taking stuff from her mother's home, but if they hadn't, their chances of survival would be slimmer than they already were.

Carefully, Kiara crawled onto the branch and towards the remaining apples, examining them for their freshness. Most of them were either rotting or were half eaten by wild Pokémon, but a few of them were still intact and edible. Gently plucking them off the twigs, she dropped them down neatly into the awaiting basket. The girl glanced over the remaining fruit one last time before returning to the trunk and climbing back down.

Kiara walked over to Riolu once she was on the ground again, peering into the basket. "Alright, let's see what we got so far," she smiled at him as she pushed around the fruit and counted what they had. They were meager findings, but there was no room to be picky when it was either eat what you have or starve. "Hm…We can head further up there to see if there's anything left, but most of it will probably already be picked dry," she reported, pointing as the ground ahead slowly escalated, the trees and other undergrowth thinning out in the distance.

Riolu followed her gesture with his gaze before nodding slowly in agreement.

Kiara stifled a sigh as she backed away from him. Of course the Pokémon she had taken an interest to had to be so quiet. He always seemed lost in thought, following the group's routine without protest. She understood it though; after all, the emanation Pokémon was living with a group who he didn't know very well instead of his own home within a matter of weeks, whatever his old home was. Then again, Oshawott and Treecko seemed friendly enough when she and Wolf had met them, and had been comfortable with their trainers since day one. _If only Riolu could talk…_ she sighed inwardly. _Then it would be so much easier to find out what he's thinking. _"Well, let's go," she murmured, beginning to turn towards the hills.

"Wait! Kiara! Kiara!" the desperate voice of Ninetales called out behind her. She whipped her head around to see the shiny fox Pokémon pelting through the undergrowth towards her, with Treecko dashing behind him, trying to keep up.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Kiara asked immediately. Not seeing Wolf with his own Pokémon caused alarm to grow inside her.

It took Ninetales a moment to reply as he caught his breath. He seemed to have come a long way, as many twigs and small leaves were caught in his blue-grey fur. "You have to come quickly…I cannot explain now…You have to see yourself…" he gasped in between pants.

"Then let's go! Lead the way!" Kiara growled harsher than she intended to due to her growing anxiety about her friend.

Ninetales nodded, still catching his breath. He swiftly snatched Oshawott and suddenly tossed him onto his back, probably so they wouldn't have to worry about the sea otter Pokémon falling behind. With that, the fox Pokémon took off again back in the direction he had come with Treecko sprinting behind.

"Come on Riolu! Leave that behind, we can get it later!" Kiara ordered back to him before taking off after Ninetales.

Kiara heard the emanation Pokémon drop the basket behind her before sprinting to catch up with her. Together the two ran side by side, fighting to keep Ninetales in their sight. He was rushing so fast despite being out of breath, and Kiara assumed it must be the adrenaline that kept him going.

It didn't take long for Kiara to feel exhausted as she pushed on after the fox Pokémon, but still the shiny did not slow down. She prayed silently as she sprinted that nothing had befallen Wolf, though she didn't know what she was praying to. Her exhaustion was beginning to take its toll, causing her to slow down, her sides heaving as she fought to take in air. The girl blinked in surprise as she suddenly felt Riolu grab her hand in his paw and drag her on. Kiara simply gave him a grateful glance, unable to produce words when she was out of breath anyways.

Riolu let out a grunt of acknowledgement in return, a look of determination clear on his face as he carried both their weights forward.

Despite the forest around them going by in a flash of colors, Kiara began to notice that she didn't recognize this area. They were getting farther and farther away from the normal territory they remained in, and she hoped they could find the way back afterwards. _What were they doing so far out here anyways?_ she wondered in confusion, watching as the undergrowth began to thin out. Relief washed over her as she saw that Ninetales had stopped at what appeared to be the edge of the forest, and she too drew to a halt with Riolu.

Kiara didn't think she'd ever have her breathing back to normal again as she crouched with her hands on her knees. Once it settled down a bit, she lifted her head up to see where they were, but her eyes immediately focused on Wolf, who stood ahead with his back turned to them. "You're okay!" she exclaimed with a slight wheeze, rushing forward to embrace the boy.

Wolf flinched at her sudden grasp, turning to face her. "Huh? Of course I am! Took you long enough to get here," he growled in irritation.

"What are you doing out here anyways?" Kiara asked curiously as she pulled away. "This is really far away from home."

"Our camp won't help us at all during the winter. It doesn't shelter from the cold winds, and the sky is completely open above us. It'll be full of snow once winter starts. We came out here by the quarries to see if we could find a better home for us, but it obviously isn't safe. See for yourself," Wolf explained darkly, leading them forward a few more feet through the last straggling trees and shrubs.

Kiara followed after him in bewilderment with the Pokémon all following close behind. She soon saw the tannish colors of the rock walls towering ahead, but it was the smears and splatters of blood across the dry stone that caught her attention. Her eyes slowly widened in shock as she spotted scattered feathers and what seemed to be a torn apart nest. Beside her, the girl felt Riolu stiffen in fright.

"This was a nest belonging to a Braviary and its chicks. It must have bred with a Ditto, but either way, they were hunted down—by a pack of Houndoom. The same Houndoom that we found chasing you, Riolu," Ninetales reported grimly after taking a long whiff of the area.

"I can't believe this…I knew Pokémon hunted each other for food, but this is just cruel…" Kiara mumbled softly, imaging the wailing cries of the birds as they fought to escape the hungry pack with their sharp teeth and scorching flames. She glanced at Riolu, suddenly wondering if his family was murdered by these Pokémon too, and that he was the only survivor. _That would explain why he's so quiet all the time…_

"The kill was recent too, by the looks of it," Ninetales growled as he padded forward to sniff at the evidence of the tussle.

"Well, if you're okay, then why'd you need us to come here so fast?" Kiara asked in confusion.

"Because I know if I had come back and told you not to come here, you wouldn't have listened and went anyways. So I wanted you to see for yourself how dangerous it is so you wouldn't come back and put yourself at risk," Wolf retorted.

"You make it sound as if I'm stubborn and dumb!" Kiara sniffed in offense.

"Well, it's true!" Wolf snorted back.

"Quiet! Listen…" Ninetales snapped at the two children, his ears perked up.

Kiara silenced, but only out of her curiosity to what the fox Pokémon was referring to. She listened intently, but didn't hear anything at first besides her own breathing. After a moment, she heard something very subtle being carried to her ears by the breeze. The girl stepped forward, following Ninetales as he sniffed about the rock wall, searching for the source of the tiny noise. As they got closer, she began to make it out as a pitiful cry.

"Look," Ninetales pointed with his snout towards a small crevice, where the crying was the loudest, though still very quiet.

Kiara blinked as she stepped towards the crack in the stone, peering inside. Her eyes widened in disbelief to see a baby Rufflet curled up there, quivering in fear.

"He must be the only survivor," Wolf mumbled as he came up behind her to look at the crevice as well.

"Oh, the poor thing, he must be terrified," Kiara murmured sympathetically. She carefully reached inside to attempt to pull the eaglet Pokémon out into the open.

Rufflet flinched at the girl's gesture, scooting farther back into his hiding place as he looked up at the strangers with wide eyes.

"No, no, no, don't worry. We aren't going to hurt you, I promise," Kiara whispered gently, signaling for the others to step back. "C'mon, the big scary Houndoom are all gone now, see?" she told him as she scooted back herself to give Rufflet room to exit.

The baby bird remained where he was, though he had stopped his shaking more or less. Behind his fear, Kiara could see that Rufflet was staring at Wolf and herself in bewilderment.

_He's so young, I wonder if he even knows what a human is…_ Kiara thought sadly.

Riolu suddenly stepped up beside her and beckoned the eaglet Pokémon forward. "Ri ri," he said in a reassuring tone with a small smile.

"Osh-a-wott!" the sea otter Pokémon stepped up as well, seeming to be agreeing with the emanation Pokémon.

Rufflet stared at them silently for a few more moments before finally taking his first steps out in the open. He was still hesitant, gazing to and fro as if he expected the Houndoom pack to burst from hiding and kill him too.

"See, everything's fine now," Kiara smiled down at him, holding her arms out before Rufflet as an offer to hold him. After all, she didn't want to scare the little scrap by suddenly picking him up.

Rufflet gazed at her hands, examining them warily. He then looked up at Kiara's face, blinking before slowly stepping forward into her awaiting arms.

"There we go…" Kiara whispered, gently scooping Rufflet up and hugging him close. "You're alright now, no one's going to hurt you as long as we're here," she chuckled, running her fingers through his feathers. Memories of Kangaskhan welcoming new baby Pokémon into the family flashed through her mind and soon she realized that she had imitated what her mother would've done with a frightened baby. _I learned so much from her…_ she thought, longing to be with the parent Pokémon again. She knew that couldn't happen, but she'd certainly not leave this baby behind. "Wolf, we gotta take him home and take care of him. He's all alone now," she sniffed firmly.

Wolf simply grunted back at her. "You can bring it if you want. I don't care. But _you're_ the one who's gonna take care of it," he growled, making no effort to hide the fact that he probably wanted nothing to do with Rufflet.

"Fine. I don't need your help anyways," Kiara snorted, holding the eaglet Pokémon close to her. She gazed down to see that he was staring at his old nest sorrowfully, burying his face into Kiara's chest upon discovering that none of his littermates nor his father were around anymore. She watched as Riolu patted Rufflet lightly, giving him an empathetic frown. _Maybe he did lose his family just like this little guy…_

"Then let's go," Wolf muttered, turning away from them. "I don't like this place. Don't worry about getting any more food today either. Let's just get back to the camp," he ordered, returning Treecko to his Pokéball before heading back to the forest.

Kiara simply followed after Ninetales with Riolu at her side, letting Oshawott remain out of his Pokéball for now. She was glad their pace was slower now, or she didn't think she could've carried Rufflet and ran at full speeds at the same time. She held the eaglet Pokémon close, stroking his feathery head softly in a soothing manner. The baby simply burrowed closer to her, his eyes shut.

The group traveled along through the forest back towards familiar territory for quite some time. After all, it had taken a bit to get to the quarries while running, so it was even slower at a normal pace. Once the broad leaves that sheltered their camp appeared ahead, evening had already arrived.

Kiara carried the snoozing Rufflet into the clearing, who had at some point on their way back fallen asleep in her arms. However, he twitched and writhed every so often, and Kiara wondered if he was having nightmares, more specifically about his recent traumatic experience. _I wonder if he'll wake up thinking it was all just a bad dream…I understand how that feels,_ she thought with a sigh, heading towards her nest.

_I'm assuming this little guy will be living with us now, so we're going to need to build some more nests. It's already kind of snug with just the four of us,_ Kiara thought as she gently placed Rufflet into her nest, piling up the lining around him so he was cozy and warm.

"Kiara, do you mind if I take Oshawott back to where you all had collected fruit so we can retrieve it?" Ninetales called from the clearing's entrance.

The girl shook her head in response. "That's fine! Just come back before it gets too dark," Kiara called back, watching as the fox Pokémon and sea otter Pokémon exited the camp. As she turned her attention back to the eaglet Pokémon, she blinked in surprise to see him slowly waking up. "Oh, we must've been too loud…"

Rufflet rolled in his makeshift nest, rubbing at his eyes with his tiny wings. He slowly opened them and looked around before he began to cry hysterically like any baby would.

"Oh dear, don't cry! It's okay, you're safe here," Kiara yelped, scooping him back into her arms and rocking him back and forth.

Rufflet relaxed for a few moments before bursting into tears again, as if that wasn't his problem.

Kiara instantly regretted sending Ninetales away, wishing he was here to tell her what the baby wanted. _Kangaskhan always knew exactly what to do when one of the baby Pokémon was upset…_ she recalled begrudgingly. _I wish she was here now,_ she thought sorrowfully as she continued to rock Rufflet.

A tap on her shoulder caught Kiara's attention and she turned to see Riolu standing behind her. "Ri ri," the emanation Pokémon murmured, pointing to the tree hollow where they stored all their food.

Kiara blinked, slowly understanding. "He's hungry?" she asked, receiving a nod in response. "Well okay, we'll feed him," she said, carrying Rufflet over to the tree hollow with Riolu padding behind.

"Okay, how about this?" Kiara asked, reaching in with one hand and pulling out an Oran berry. She held it out in front of the eaglet Pokémon's beak hopefully.

Rufflet paused his waterworks, stretching out his neck to sniff at the blue fruit. Though he stopped his crying at the sight of food, he turned his head away from the Oran berry with a sniff.

"Huh? But I thought you were hungry…" Kiara sighed in confusion, pulling her hand back. She thought back to her time in Kangaskhan's den, wondering if there was a specific reason he wouldn't eat even if he was hungry. _He looks pretty young still…_ she thought, remembering if a Pokémon was too young, it wouldn't be able to eat solid food yet. She had only mashed berries to make paint, but perhaps Rufflet would eat it if it was soft? "Sit tight, I'll have something for you in a few minutes," she promised, placing Rufflet gently on the ground.

Kiara was relieved that Rufflet didn't start crying as she stepped away from him. She went into their supplies store, where their new medicines were kept safe buried amongst the roots of the tree that held their food. There were also a few wooden carved bowls and spoons from Kangaskhan's den here. Kiara still hated taking her mother's belongings without her permission, but they needed a few things to help them survive. She pulled out a small bowl and spoon, as well as a smooth rock to help pummel the berry to a mush. As she gathered these items, she spotted their herbal store tucked into the hollow of an old rock. _He might still be stressed, so one poppy seed should help with that, _she thought, picking up one of the black seeds from the store and deciding to mix it in with the food later.

Kiara returned to Rufflet, who seemed to be having a conversation with Riolu. She sat down in front of them, setting the supplies down as well. While the two Pokémon watched, she placed the poppy seed as well as the Oran berry inside the bowl. Then, taking the rock, she began to crush the fruit, the insides breaking through the skin and spilling out through the rips into the bowl. She was careful not to crush the poppy seed in the process, mixing it in skin, juices, and fruit of the Oran berry mush. Once she felt it was squished enough, she put the rock down and began to stir it all up with the spoon. "There," she finished, taking a spoonful of the goop and holding it out in front of Rufflet. "How's this?"

Rufflet stretched out his neck once again to sniff at the substance, somewhat intrigued. After a moment or so of looking it over carefully, the eaglet Pokémon finally latched his beak onto the head of the spoon and licked up the mush. He pulled back, his tongue running over his maw and his eyes gleaming with delight. "Ruff-Rufflet!" he cheered happily, diving for the bowl and making a mess of himself like any baby would as he ate sloppily.

Kiara couldn't suppress a chuckle of amusement. "Well, I'm certainly glad you like it. I think you're getting more of it in your feathers than in your mouth though!" she laughed, glancing at Riolu. "Could you bring me a bottle of water and some moss from the store?" she asked, knowing she'd have to clean up the baby before bed.

Riolu gave a brisk nod of response before scurrying off to retrieve the requested items.

Kiara meanwhile pulled the nearly empty bow away from Rufflet, examining the remaining scraps to see if the poppy seed had been consumed or not. She didn't see anything like it left, but considering all the goop in his feathers, it could have easily gotten stuck in Rufflet's coat. "Now, I know you were hungry, but you really can't eat like that. Look at all the food you wasted while rushing! Next time, eat slowly, that way you get every little bite, okay?" she told him, raising a brow as she waited for his agreement.

Rufflet blinked, staring at her before nodding slowly, as if it were taking a while for him to understand what the girl was telling him.

"Good," Kiara sighed, turning as she heard Riolu return with the items she wanted. "Thanks," she nodded to him, taking the two objects and opening up the bottle. She took the moss, pressing it to the top of the bottle and turning it upside down for a few seconds before turning it back over. Satisfied with how soaked the moss was, she put the cap back on the bottle and turned back to Rufflet. "I would've taken you down to the stream, but it's getting late, so this will have to do," she murmured, pulling the eaglet Pokémon closer to her.

Carefully Kiara began to clean the mush on Rufflet's feathers with the wet moss. She made sure to check every splotch for any sign of the poppy seed in case it really had missed the baby's mouth. As she cleaned she didn't find any sign of the little black seed. _I guess he really did eat,_ she thought, her prediction confirmed as Rufflet let out an enormous yawn. She quickly finished up before tossing the soiled moss to the side. "Okay, all done. C'mon, let's get you to bed. Babies need their rest so they can grow big and strong," she smiled, plucking the eaglet Pokémon off the ground.

As Kiara made her way over to the nests with Riolu following after, she paused as she heard the rustling of undergrowth by their camp entrance. She relaxed as she realized it was just Ninetales and Oshawott returning from their little mission. The sea otter Pokémon broke away from the shiny as Ninetales went to put the food away. He was soon at Kiara's side, looking up at her expectantly. "I'll return you in just a minute," she promised, proceeding to continue over to the nests.

The large bundle of nests was sitting where it always had as the day's sunlight began to vanish below the horizon, making the tops of the already golden trees glow like bright flames. Riolu's nest was a part of the bundle now, and tomorrow Kiara knew she would have to make one for Rufflet, too. Wolf was already in his nest, probably waiting for Ninetales before he went to bed.

Kiara settled down in her nest, setting Rufflet down beside her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out Oshawott's Pokéball before returning him inside it with the red light. "Goodnight friend," she mumbled to the capsule as she tucked it back inside her pants. The girl let out a yawn, glancing at Riolu who was settling down on her other side in his own nest. To her left, Ninetales had finally joined his partner and the two were settling down for the night as well. She finally looked at Rufflet, who was staring up at her as if waiting for something.

Kiara blinked in confusion before laying down all the way herself. In that instant, Rufflet burrowed himself close to Kiara's stomach, shifting until he was comfortable.

Kiara sighed quietly, petting the baby softly on the head before shutting her eyes. "Goodnight little one," she whispered. _If Mama were still around, I would've taken you to her. You would've liked her,_ she thought sadly. However, she knew she was going to do what her mother would've done. She was going to care for Rufflet and give him lots of love, despite what Wolf would have to say about the situation. No matter what difficulties, she wasn't going to let anything happen to this baby.


	5. Chapter Four

Leaves were falling from above like heavy raindrops as Wolf made his way through the forest. With each passing day, it felt like autumn was settling in faster and faster. Already the forest floor was covered in the debris of nature, like a vast, leafy quilt. It crunched under his feet as he continued on, his partner Ninetales at his side. The cooler breezes that helped remove the leaves from their branches also sent chills up the boy's spine.

Wolf had no choice but to have him and his Pokémon collect food by themselves. He'd rather be looking for a winter shelter for their group, but ever since Rufflet joined them, Kiara refused to do anything else but look after him. Of course Oshawott remained with his trainer and did what she said, but even Riolu was hanging around them. It was true Kiara would need help when she didn't speak Pokémon speech and since Ninetales was always with his own trainer, Riolu was the second best option. Still, Wolf didn't like any part of this situation.

_Stupid bird,_ Wolf thought begrudgingly, hugging the woven basket he held in his frustration. Rufflet was just interfering with their lives. He distracted half the group from their priorities and all he did was eat their food and take up their time. _He doesn't even help out like the other Pokémon do._

"You seem troubled Young Master," Ninetales's cool voice broke into his thoughts, causing him to turn to face the fox Pokémon. He padded alongside Wolf, but tilted his head towards him as he spoke.

"I don't like Rufflet," Wolf muttered in response immediately. "He needs too much attention. If he's gonna stay with us, he has to do his part, not just sit around all day and be taken care of! His attention-seeking is distracting Kiara and the others from doing more important stuff, like finding us more food and a shelter for the cold season," he growled in irritation.

"Now Wolf, you have to understand that Rufflet is a baby. Of course he has to be taken care of. We were all in that helpless stage when we first entered the world. However, we all grew older with time, and so will he. He may not be of much help right now, but imagine ahead, when he will be. A strong Braviary will be able not only to take us great distances in short amounts of time, but he'll be able to hunt for himself so he won't have to take the berries you and Kiara have to eat," Ninetales replied calmly as he explained. "You just have to be patient. He'll grow. Besides, he is a Pokémon. They grow quickly. Before you know it, he'll be of great assistance, even before he evolves. You'll see," he promised with a smile.

Wolf sighed softly. No matter what, Ninetales always knew what to say. It was nice having someone else to have a back and forth conversation with besides Kiara. Otherwise, he would probably go insane, especially since he and his friend didn't always see eye to eye on certain situations. "I'll try. Thanks buddy," the boy smiled back, hugging the basket tightly with one arm as he let go with the other to pet the shiny on the top of his head.

"You know I do my best to help relieve your stress, Young Master," Ninetales chuckled, his gaze trailing to the territory ahead of them.

Wolf returned his arm to the basket, which was filled with even more meager findings than last week. Food was becoming harder and harder to find as the cooling temperatures killed off what wasn't already rotting or half-eaten. It would be much easier to feed themselves if they had money, but he knew it would be a miracle if they stumbled upon anything like that. Now that they were returning to the camp, he just hoped that the others hadn't dug too much into their store.

The broad leaves that sheltered their home appeared ahead within moments. Wolf didn't know what kind of plant it was, but somehow it still managed to stay green and strong despite the temperature constantly dropping. He allowed Ninetales to push through first, the fox Pokémon holding the leaves back for his trainer as he followed after him. However, the air was full of panic the moment Wolf stepped into the clearing.

"Wolf! Wolf! We've been robbed!" Kiara was rushing towards her friend, her voice full of alarm. Riolu, Oshawott, and even Rufflet were babbling on in their Pokémon speech as well, retaining the same emotions in their tones as they remained at the girl's heels.

"What?" Wolf gasped, shock rising in him instantly. "Robbed? Robbed of what? What happened?" he pressed, fury bubbling up inside him at the idea of such a thing.

"We don't know exactly. You can tell it's already close to dinner time, so I was going to have Rufflet eat a little earlier so he could go to bed sooner. When I went over to our store, I found that there was a chunk of our food missing, and a hole in the ground just in front of the tree. Whatever it was dug into our camp, took it, and left without leaving a trace!" Kiara explained quickly, her tone full of her own disbelief of what had occurred.

Wolf's eyes narrowed. "Take us there. Whatever it is, Ninetales's nose will definitely be able to find out what creature dared to steal from us," he growled determinedly.

Kiara nodded in agreement, whipping around in direction of the tree hollow. The Pokémon that had remained with her in the camp had more or less calmed down once Wolf had developed a possible solution, though they followed after the girl as well as she led them to the crime scene.

As Wolf followed after with Ninetales, soon he began to see the hole just a foot or so away from the actual tree hollow. It was small, but big enough for some Pokémon out there. Once they reached it, Wolf signaled for the others to step aside and give Ninetales room to investigate.

The shiny fox Pokémon stepped over to the entire scene, parting his jaws for a moment to get a good scent of the air. He bent his head down to sniff at the opening in the ground before lifting his head back up and sniffing at the tree and the remaining fruit inside the hollow. After several moments longer, Ninetales finally turned to face the group watching him. "It was obviously a smaller Pokémon, and they used the move Dig to get into our camp. Normally our camp is well hidden above ground, but underground, the Pokémon that broke in was simply following the scent of food, and found our home that way. It, like many other creatures out there, is trying to find food for itself, and in this immediate area, the food source is in our camp. Now, after further examining the scent, though stale by now, I have determined the Pokémon to be a Trapinch," he reported.

"A Trapinch?" Kiara echoed in confusion. "But from what I recall, Trapinch live in deserts. I don't even think there's anything close to a desert in this region! What would a Trapinch be doing in the forest even if it was in Latuca?" she questioned with a tilt of her head.

Ninetales simply shrugged. "That I cannot answer you. All I know is what my senses tell me. The closest thing I could probably guess is that it must've been caught somewhere else, and that its former trainer released it into the wild out here," he mumbled to them.

"That would explain why it stole our food," Wolf put in with a frown. "Even so, this is _our_ food. I wouldn't doubt that this Trapinch would come back here again, especially since it knows there's more food waiting here. Ninetales, I need you to fill this fissure back up. I'll stay by the tree hollow for the rest of the day, until it comes back. Then, we'll show it not to come back here again," he decided firmly.

"Of course Wolf," Ninetales dipped his head to his trainer and started doing just that, turning his back to the hole and kicking dirt into it.

"What should we do Wolf?" Kiara asked the boy, her eyes as well as the remaining Pokémon's all on him.

"Just relax," Wolf answered. "Ninetales and I will be fine on our own. Just make sure you eat, and if you see any other holes inside our camp, tell us. Here, make sure Treecko gets fed too," he murmured, removing the wood gecko Pokémon's Pokéball from his pocket and handing it to his friend.

"Sure thing," Kiara agreed, releasing Treecko from his capsule before leading the four Pokémon around the dirt-kicking Ninetales to their food, getting ready to prepare the night's meal.

Once the group had gotten some food and supplies and situated themselves away from Wolf and his partner, he headed towards the tree hollow with his basket still in hand all this time to put away what little food they had brought back with them. It didn't take very long since it was only a few pieces of fruit, and it hardly made up for what the Trapinch had stolen. Sighing, Wolf picked out an Oran and Cheri berry for himself before glancing back towards Ninetales, who was almost done filling up the hole. "What do you want to eat?" he asked.

"A Nanab berry is fine for me," the fox Pokémon answered, filling up the last of the gap with a satisfied grunt. With that he padded over to the side of the tree hollow and settled himself down, grooming the soil out of his hind paws while he waited for Wolf to join him.

Wolf nodded in return, grabbing the requested fruit from the store and carrying it as well as his own over to his partner before he settled down next to him. "Here you go," he murmured as he placed the Nanab berry at Ninetales's paws. The boy began to eat his Oran berry slowly, trying to savor the flavor within every bite for as long as he could. After all, with their food supply getting slimmer even without Trapinch's robbery, it would be best if he started to train his body to go longer without food and to be satisfied with smaller portions.

"Thanks," Ninetales barked gratefully, beginning to dig into the pink fruit, skin and all. From what Wolf understood, the Nanab berry didn't have any healing properties and such like other berries. To him it was pretty much a different version of a banana, except you could easily find Nanab berries in the wild, while you could only get bananas in stores as far as he knew.

It took a while, but eventually Wolf finished his first portion, moving onto the Cheri berry and eating it just as slowly. By then Ninetales was already done with his meal, his head resting on his forepaws. Finally Wolf got through the red fruit as well, stretching his arms out above him. His belly full, he certainly wished he could go to bed earlier like he was watching Kiara and her small group of Pokémon do so at that moment. However, he knew he had to stay awake and wait for the Trapinch. Otherwise, the ant pit Pokémon could steal right from under their noses again. The boy reached over, grabbing Ninetales's shoulder and shaking him slightly. "Hey buddy, we gotta keep each other awake, okay?"

Ninetales's ears twitched in response before he sat up and faced his trainer. "Of course, Young Master. If one of us starts to fall asleep, the other will keep him awake, yes?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yep," Wolf agreed, leaning back against the trunk of their store. "That Trapinch won't get away from us this time!" he sniffed confidently as he focused his eyes on the filled up hole, not daring to take it away from there for a second.

The sun sunk below the horizon and was replaced by the many stars and moon in the midnight blue sky as hours passed. There were several times where Wolf would have to nudge Ninetales awake and other times where he himself had let his eyes shut without even realizing it and was awoken by his partner Pokémon. At some point in the night a strange noise awoke Wolf, and he realized yet again he had dozed off. The quiet snoring next to him suggested that Ninetales must've fallen asleep around the same time which was why neither had kept the other up. However, this wasn't the noise that had disturbed Wolf's slumber. The boy rubbed his eyes, willing them to adjust to the darkness as he looked around suspiciously. He kicked Ninetales in the flank as well, knowing that a Pokémon's eyesight even if they weren't nocturnal was naturally better than a human's in the dark.

Ninetales groaned in protest, but through the darkness Wolf could just barely make out his slim body getting to his paws. "Wolf? Did we fall asleep again? Is something happening?" he asked quietly, his voice giving away his drowsy state.

"Listen," Wolf whispered back, silencing himself as well as he listened intently for the burrowing that had continued even as the two spoke to each other quietly.

Ninetales did just that, padding over to Wolf's side quietly in the process. Wolf heard him suppress a low growl after he took a whiff of the air.

Wolf didn't feel all too great about the suspicious noise either. It certainly wasn't anything you'd normally hear at night in the forest. He focused his still adjusting vision to where he presumed the filled up hole was. He thought he could see a small body there, but he couldn't be sure if it was the darkness messing with him or if something was actually there.

Ninetales in the meantime seemed to find a solution to the problem of the darkness. Opening his maw, three orbs of flame emerged and headed towards the area in front of the tree hollow. It was Will-O-Wisp, a move Wolf had just recently taught him with a TM that he had gotten from the Professor's Lab a few weeks back.

The status attack served as a temporary light or even as a type of lock-on missile to test if there actually was a creature just a few feet ahead of them. The three orbs hovered over before they suddenly began to orbit around something in between them. With their small offering of light, Wolf made out the creature it was circling, causing fury to grow inside him. "Trapinch!" The ground-type was standing right by the once-filled up hole, his attention caught as his name was spoken.

The ant pit Pokémon's dull eyes focused on the boy and the Ninetales. His mouth opened just slightly, but Wolf could see the half-eaten berries that were sheltered inside his jaws.

"He's stealing our food! Get him Ninetales!" Wolf snapped, watching as Trapinch was startled not only by the sudden growth in volume but also as the Will-O-Wisp actually hit him and gave him a burn.

Ninetales immediately pounced towards the ant pit Pokémon without protest, claws extended and teeth bared in a snarl.

However Trapinch was already close enough to his escape. He made a dive for the reopened fissure and burrowed inside it swiftly.

Even with Ninetales's quick speed, without a long limb like a tail to grab onto, the fox Pokémon was left empty-handed as he shoved his muzzle inside the hole after Trapinch with no luck. After a moment or so longer, the shiny lifted his head back up with a scowl on his face. "He got away," he muttered sourly.

Wolf clenched his fists in frustration as he walked over to the hole as well. That Trapinch had just dug right through their efforts to seal the opening back up without a problem. "Now what are we going to do?" he growled in irritation to his partner.

"I say we just rest. I doubt that the Trapinch will return again in one night, considering his belly is full and he almost got caught. We can come up with something in the morning," Ninetales yawned in response simply.

Wolf wanted to argue, but he had to admit that he too was still tired even after that sudden jolt awake. "Fine," he grunted back. "We might as well go to our nests then," he suggested and began leading the way towards them drowsily. With Ninetales right behind him, eventually the two arrived at the bundle of nests on the opposite side of the clearing. The boy collapsed in his own nest without waiting for Ninetales to position himself inside first. He was too exhausted to care. He did feel the shiny fox Pokémon situate his body around Wolf, and even though it wasn't perfect he didn't mind it at that moment.

"Wolf? Is everything alright? I thought I heard some commotion coming from where you two were standing watch…" Kiara's whisper sounded from where her nest was located in comparison to Wolf's. He had forgotten that even though the scuffle was rather quiet, it might still wake up one of the others.

"Everything's fine. Just go back to bed," Wolf answered in a yawn, curling up in his nest. Despite his frustration with letting the ant pit Pokémon get away, it was relieving to be able to sleep without the struggle of staying awake. Within moments the boy was sound asleep, where in his dreams he was successfully catching Trapinch and putting him in his place for his crimes.

***

A scowl was clear on Wolf's face as he examined the remains of their store. The next morning had arrived and passed as the sun shone high in the sky by now. An even bigger dent had been created in the pile of berries that served as their food stock, and it only enraged the boy even more. Of course when they needed this food the most, something had to start stealing from them. It was obvious that they had to keep an extra close eye on this tree hollow until Trapinch had been caught and taught a lesson for his actions.

"Shall I refill the hole again, Young Master?" Ninetales inquired where he sat next to his partner, his head tilted towards him.

"Yeah. I'm going to get the others. I'll be right back," Wolf nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out Treecko's Pokéball. He released the wood gecko Pokémon before turning away in the direction of the nests. "Stay there," he ordered, heading off towards the opposite end of the clearing.

As he neared he could see Kiara, Rufflet, and Riolu all situated amongst the moss and feathers. They looked rather relaxed and serene as the emanation Pokémon watched Kiara carefully groom the baby bird's coat with her fingers. "You're such a handsome little boy, and you're gonna have all the lady birds flying after you when you're older!" she purred happily.

"Rufflet!" the eaglet Pokémon chirped merrily at the compliment, obviously enjoying the treatment he was receiving.

"Ahem," Wolf interrupted, catching the small group off guard. "We all need to talk. Bring Oshawott too," he instructed before turning away again. He hated seeing Kiara act so ridiculous when she was around Rufflet. It was as if her mindset was replaced with someone much younger in a matter of just a few days. _That stupid bird better grow up fast, or I don't know how much more of this I can take,_ he thought to himself in irritation, making his way back over to where his own Pokémon were waiting for him.

Ninetales had finished filling up the fissure yet again and was now sitting on it comfortably. Treecko was also sitting down, waiting for his trainer expectantly.

Wolf remained standing in front of them, glancing back to see Kiara, Riolu, and Rufflet making their way towards them. Oshawott was amongst them now, stumbling behind at the girl's feet. Once they arrived, the group situated themselves with the shiny and the wood gecko Pokémon and focused their gazes on the boy as well, waiting to see what he had to say.

Wolf let out a sigh before beginning to speak to the assembly. "As you all should know, we've been robbed twice this past day by the same Pokémon; a Trapinch. Now, especially with winter just around the corner, we can't have our food stock getting large chunks removed from it by someone who doesn't help us out in any way. Until we catch this thief, someone is going to need to be on guard of this tree hollow. We'll work in shifts, and while one of us stays and guards, the rest of us will be putting in double the effort to find food and attempt to replenish our store until it is about what it used to be. Any questions?" he explained, his eyes traveling across the group once he finished.

All of them simultaneously shook their heads in response.

"Good. Kiara, you can take the first watch shift with Rufflet. All you have to do is sit there and make sure to catch the Trapinch if he decides to come back. If you get hungry, you're obviously right next to our food supply. The rest of you will come with me so we can travel a bit outside of our usual territory and see what we can find out there. We'll be out for quite some time, so make sure you've eaten before we go. When we get back, Kiara, you can pick someone else to take your shift," Wolf continued.

"Okay Wolfie. We'll make sure to catch him if he so much as pokes his snout into our camp!" Kiara sniffed confidently, Rufflet nodding firmly in his agreement.

Wolf shot her a glare of annoyance at the little pet name before turning away from the crowd. "Meet me at the camp entrance once you're ready!" he ordered to the others, taking off at a swift pace to his desired location. Once he got there, he leaned against one of the many trees that bordered their camp, his eyes watching in slight amusement as the Pokémon assigned to come with him scrambled around the tree hollow quickly, trying to pick something and rapidly eat it so they could move out. However, in the back of his mind, the boy honestly hoped that there was more food out there for them, or he didn't know how they'd survive their first winter on their own.

Wolf carried a basket filled to the brim with berries, all different shades of blue. There was a slight joyful skip to his step as he led the way back to their camp after a long day of traveling. They had headed quite a distance northeast from their home, and for a while the boy had completely lost hope that they would even find a scrap of food. However, as he pushed them on with his fake optimism, they entered upon a clearing filled with untouched berry bushes, which had left them all shocked. Of course many of these berries were still dried out from the lack of the right temperature in the air to keep them flourishing, but at least none of them were half eaten like most bushes they would find inside their usual territory.

Wolf glanced back at the others with a small gleeful smile. Riolu was carrying a smaller basket that his own that was also filled up. Ninetales, Treecko, and Oshawott were simply watching the two who held the food carefully, making sure to catch any fruit that rolled out of their containers. With all this food, Wolf was certain they had replenished their store, even if it wasn't very easy to do. Now all they needed to do was catch Trapinch, and their problems would be solved.

Their pace was slow returning home, and since they traveled so far away, the sun was already meeting the horizon once the broad leaves that sheltered their camp appeared ahead. However, the large amount of noise that Wolf could hear as he got closer certainly crushed the feeling that this day had gone rather smoothly. "Kiara?" the boy called, impatiently allowing the Pokémon without anything to carry push the foliage aside for him and Riolu.

"Stop squirming! I got you now!" Kiara snapped, though she didn't seem to notice that Wolf had attempted to get her attention. As he entered the camp, his eyes widened to see that across the clearing Kiara was holding onto Trapinch as he attempted to crawl away from her grasp, though not in the direction of the hole, much to Wolf's confusion.

"C'mon! Leave the food here!" Wolf ordered to the Pokémon with him, placing his own basket down before he took off towards his friend and the criminal.

As the boy neared, he saw that Trapinch's expression was strongly irritated towards the girl that had latched onto him. He watched as the ant pit Pokémon's eyes suddenly glowed blue, and above the two of them, strange vortexes began to appear. _Rock Slide!_ he thought in alarm as he spotted the beginnings of the summoned rocks peeking out from the portals, ready to crush Kiara.

However, just before Trapinch could finish using the move, Rufflet charged forward, striking at the ground-type's broad head with a Fury Attack. He was seething with rage and hostility as he struck.

Trapinch let out a growl of even more annoyance as his own attack cancelled out. Though the Fury Attack didn't seem to be doing much to actually damage him, it was obvious the ant pit Pokémon's patience was dwindling fast.

"Stop! We can handle this now!" Wolf called as he skidded to a halt in front of the three, their Pokémon friends all at his sides as well.

"Oh, Rufflet!" Kiara gasped, releasing her grip on Trapinch before swiftly crawling over to the baby. "You saved me! That was so brave!" it was obvious to Wolf that the girl was purposely exaggerating, but it boosted the eaglet Pokémon's confidence, so of course she was going to continue doing it.

"Ruff-Rufflet!" the flying-type sniffed simply, though he was grinning nonetheless.

Suddenly Ninetales spoke up, watching the two with a small smile. "He said he'd do anything he could to protect his mother," he translated.

"Mother?" Kiara echoed in shock, gazing down at the eaglet Pokémon with wide eyes. "You think I'm…?" without even finishing her statement, Rufflet was already nodding in certainty.

"I'm not entirely surprised," Ninetales shrugged. "After all, he didn't have a mother to begin with since all Braviary's and Rufflet's are male. Now that you took him in at such a young age, and you are female, he has naturally bonded with you and knows you as nothing else but his mother. He even continues to believe it despite the both of you being entirely different species," he explained simply.

"Wow…" Kiara gasped quietly in disbelief, her eyes focused on the baby in her arms as she took this information in.

"Excuse me, but if you're done with your sentimental moment, we have bigger issues at hand," Wolf interrupted with a snort, his eyes focused on Trapinch. The other Pokémon had surrounded him in case he tried to escape while Ninetales was speaking to Kiara, but he hadn't even made an attempt in the meantime. In fact, he looked rather glad to see Wolf's attention on him.

"Wipe that smile off your face, you thief!" Wolf snapped coldly. "You're going to be in a lot of trouble after what you did to us," he growled, crouching over so he was nose-to-nose with the ant pit Pokémon.

"Trap-Trapinch!" was all the ground-type chuckled in response. "Trapinch-Trap!"

Ninetales's eyes narrowed at the ant pit Pokémon suspiciously. "He said he's glad to see you too. He wanted to apologize for what he did, and that he brought something to make it up to you, Young Master," he explained with his own snort of disbelief.

Before Wolf could respond to such nonsense, his eyes widened as he saw Trapinch burrowing his way into the ground he was standing on with his Dig attack. The boy made a dive to catch him before he got away, but this Trapinch was surprisingly faster than it should've been. "No! He got away again!" he snarled in frustration, sitting up with dirt smudged on his face after he shoved it into the fissure after the ant pit Pokémon.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Wolf," Ninetales reported after taking a whiff of the air. He pointed with a forepaw towards the original hole that Trapinch had used to enter their camp.

A moment later, Trapinch crawled out of the gap, carrying something in his jaws. Oshawott, Riolu, and Treecko all stepped aside in their bewilderment to let the ant pit Pokémon through and back over to Wolf. He dropped the object at the boy's feet, which he soon realized was a dead rabbit. "Trap-Trapinch!"

Wolf stared at the fresh-kill in utter bafflement. The thief hadn't been lying! He wasn't sure what good a dead woodland creature was going to do him, but at least the ant pit Pokémon didn't run away like he had first expected.

"Trapinch! Trap, Trap-Trapinch!" Trapinch continued, glancing at Ninetales as if willing him to explain to the boy what he was trying to say.

Ninetales blinked before nodding and obliging to the request. "'I caught something to make up for what I took! I hope it's good enough. Please, Mister, I think your name is Wolf? I had a trainer once, but he let me go without even a goodbye as he found a better ground type in this region! I'm really lonely, and I want a new trainer! I promise I won't steal ever again if you let me help! I'll prove it to you that I'll be good from now on! Please?'" he translated, tone and all.

Wolf's eyes had narrowed to slits with suspicion. He had no idea if he could really trust this Pokémon's words. However, an idea in the back of his mind caused him to go along with Trapinch's request. If he were caught in a Pokéball, then there'd be no possible way for him to steal from them ever again. Besides, who knew? Once Trapinch evolved, a Flygon certainly wouldn't be a bad Pokémon to add to their family. "Fine," he agreed curtly. "But you really gotta make sure you don't steal. I'll be watching you all the time and making sure you keep that promise! I want you to work harder than anyone else here to make sure we survive this winter! Got it?" he growled, raising a brow at Trapinch as he asked the question.

The ant pit Pokémon nodded swiftly in agreement. "Trap-Trapinch!" there was sincerity in his tone as he spoke to the boy.

"Good," Wolf grunted. "Ninetales, please fetch me a Pokéball from our supplies store," he ordered softly.

"Get me one too please!" Kiara called as the fox Pokémon began to make his way towards the store. She then got to her feet and placed Rufflet down on the ground in front of her. "That's what you want, right? You wanna stay with Mommy?" she asked the eaglet Pokémon with a tilt of her head.

Rufflet nodded swiftly, flapping his tiny wings in delight. "Rufflet!"

"Then I promise we will be!" Kiara smiled joyfully in return.

Wolf just sighed as he awaited the return of his partner. He spotted Ninetales appear around the tree hollow with two capsules in his jaws. When he returned he simply dropped them both in the boy's hands, and as much as he didn't want to, Wolf passed one along to Kiara.

Together the two children held out their Pokéballs before the two Pokémon, allowing them to step forward on their own and tap the button in the center. Simultaneously the two vanished inside the white light as the capsule opened up and shut again. Both Pokéballs shook three times before a click could be heard, signaling the successful capture of the ant pit Pokémon and the eaglet Pokémon.

Kiara let Rufflet back out again right after he was claimed as hers, her smile only widening as the baby immediately began to nuzzle his head against her leg affectionately.

Wolf however kept Trapinch inside the capsule, tucking it away into his pocket. Even though the situation with Rufflet had only gotten worse in his eyes, at least the problem of their food supply had been narrowly averted. Even so, Wolf didn't doubt that a new problem would soon arise to test the survival abilities of the two children and their Pokémon.


	6. Chapter Five

Wolf sat alone against one of the broad trees that sheltered their camp. His Pokémon were off with Oshawott and Riolu collecting more food, though these past few days certainly didn't surprise them with any more jackpots. He had decided he would take this day off for himself. After all, even he needed a break from always giving orders and trying to do everything himself. However, as Wolf relaxed underneath the nearly bare branches of the tree behind him while he munched lightly on a Razz berry, he felt his anxiety nagging at him to get back to work before it was too late.

The boy sighed, gazing at the rather gloomy sky above. Pale gray clouds had covered it like a thick blanket, and he wondered if it would rain soon. It certainly had been a while since he had encountered rain. If he remembered correctly, he didn't recall anything past a very light drizzle since Kangaskhan was taken away. All his worries were preoccupied with the cooling temperatures, which only got worse and worse with each passing day, especially during the night, when the sun's rays where hidden beneath the earth. The flaming orb in the sky was one of their only sources of heat, and even when it did show its face it didn't provide as much heat as it would in the summer.

Wolf lowered his gaze upon hearing footsteps approach him. It was Kiara, who like always had remained in the camp caring for Rufflet. The thought of the eaglet Pokémon reminded him that it was only days ago when Kiara actually captured him. It was the same day and time that he had captured the thief Trapinch. When he thought about the ant pit Pokémon, it still shocked him about how those events had turned for the better so quickly. Even as his Pokémon were out now, he instructed Treecko and Ninetales to keep a close eye on Trapinch to make sure he didn't betray them, but so far the ground-type was staying true to his word.

In the end Ninetales had ended up eating that dead rabbit since he was naturally carnivorous, and with that the idea came to mind that the shiny should perhaps catch his own food as woodland creatures to help keep the berry stock full for the two children. The fox Pokémon had agreed, and while his other two Pokémon searched for berries, Ninetales was simply with them as a supervisor, and would later head out on his own to get his own meal.

"Wolf? Can I ask you something?" Kiara's voice brought the boy back to the present as he blinked, his eyes focusing on the girl standing before him.

"I guess so," Wolf sniffed in response. He peered around Kiara in search for her "son," but soon noticed that he was across the clearing in the nests, taking a nap.

"Well, you know it's getting colder, and I think it's time you and I got some new clothes. I know that we had stuff from last winter and we brought it with us when we left Mama's den, but it's been a whole year, so it doesn't fit us anymore," Kiara explained.

"Don't you think I've thought about that?" Wolf growled irritably in return. "Trust me, I want new clothes too, but we don't have money to get that. Plus, there's no way we're digging in the garbage for that kind of thing. If it's in the trash, it's there for a reason," he snorted simply.

"But what about that place Mama used to get our clothes from?" Kiara argued. "She never had money. She told us she got the clothes from that factory down south or something, and they were throwing away brand new stuff! All the clothing she ever brought us was never trashy."

"That's nice and all, but we don't know where that place is exactly, or how far away we'd have to travel to get there," Wolf muttered.

"Well if I remember our studies back in the orphanage correctly, the south part of Latuca is basically a peninsula, so there's only so far down we can go before hitting the shore. The shore might be a good place to examine, since a clothing factory probably ships its products to other regions. C'mon Wolf, we at least gotta try! If not, how are we supposed to survive in the cold winter in a t-shirt and some jeans?" Kiara insisted after further explanation.

Wolf sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry Kiara, but we can't just leave our camp behind. Obviously all of us would be making the trip, and I doubt it would be like heading to Columius Town. We probably wouldn't be able to make it back in one night. Now, I know that Trapinch has redeemed himself for the time being, but I don't doubt there's other hungry Pokémon out there who would steal from us while we're gone. There's no way I'd allow any of us to stay behind either," he decided simply. "We just can't do it."

"And what is it that we can't do, Young Master?" Ninetales's voice sounded from the camp entrance as a familiar blue-grey head poked through the broad leaves and entered, followed by Treecko and Trapinch. The wood gecko was carrying a basket while the ant pit Pokémon appeared to have a squirrel dangling from his jaws.

"Wolf thinks we shouldn't go find the factory Mama told us about to get new clothes for winter because he's afraid we'll get robbed while we're gone," Kiara grumbled in frustration.

"You gotta agree with me, right Ninetales?" Wolf asked hopefully.

The fox Pokémon was silent for a moment. "While I do think it'd be a bad idea to leave our food behind out in the open like it is now, Kiara has a point. No matter what, you two are going to need new pelts for the cold season. I agree that we should at least make an attempt to find this factory. After all, without new clothing, in all honesty there isn't a good chance you will survive," Ninetales mumbled to the two children.

"Well then what do you propose we do about the food situation?" Wolf sniffed with a raised brow.

Ninetales gazed around the clearing, his eyes pausing on their store for a brief moment before continuing on again. "Give me a second," he told him, padding away from the group and heading towards their camp's edge. The fox Pokémon seemed to be carefully examining the broad leaves that served as a border to their home. Wolf's eyes widened in disbelief as Ninetales grasped the stem in his jaws and began to chew through it until it broke. Carrying the large leaf in his maw, he padded over to the tree hollow and draped it over the opening with a satisfied grunt.

Wolf couldn't believe what he had just seen as Ninetales returned to them. "You're kidding right? I thought you out of our entire group wouldn't think that just covering it up would solve our problem!" he growled impatiently.

"Our camp is already hidden from most, Young Master. Trapinch was a rare case, but other than that there are no native Pokémon around here that burrow and dig to look for food. Our only concern would be flying types, which most have already migrated for the winter. However, the few that do stay in Latuca, like any bird Pokémon, rely on their sight to find food as they soar above. As long as the multicolor-berry bunch is hidden and blends in with the rest of the forest's natural colors, they won't see it as anything significant and our food will be just as we left it when we return," Ninetales explained simply with a small grin to himself, as if he were proud of his plan.

"See Wolf! Now there's no reason for us not to go out!" Kiara smirked triumphantly. "We should head out as soon as possible," she decided with a nod.

"While I do agree," Wolf interrupted, annoyance sparked in his tone that the girl was acting like the new leader. "We need to make preparations first. We'll have to eat, and make sure Riolu, Oshawott, and Rufflet know that we all are going to head out on this little trip," he started, turning to the group as a whole as he began to explain.

"Should we bring any food with us to start us off?" Kiara inquired with a tilt of her head.

"I think it'd be best to pack as little as possible," Ninetales put in. "Wolf's backpack would be the best thing for us to use to bring any clothes back. I can hunt for myself, and I've already begun teaching Trapinch to do the same in this environment as you may have noticed. We're also going to be heading into generally untouched territory. There's a good chance we might find a bit of food here and there to hold off those who need it until we return home. Speaking of, I think it would be best if I was the only Pokémon that remained out of their Pokéball during this journey. While the others are in their own, they won't need to be fed, which will save us time. The remaining four of us, which of course is counting Riolu, should be fine without them for the most part," the fox Pokémon suggested.

"I think that would be best too," Kiara agreed. "Especially with Rufflet. I doubt I would be able to bring bowls and such to feed him every so often. He would be better off in his Pokéball. I think the rest of our Pokémon could be helpful, but for sake of time, they're better off inside," she murmured.

Wolf let out a grunt of agreement to the idea. "Well, then besides ourselves, you want me to bring my backpack, right? Would the baskets be any help to us?"

"I doubt it," Kiara answered. "They'd just weigh us down. We're not trying to collect food or anything. Most of our new clothes will be going on our bodies anyways," she reminded him.

"Then we're all good?" Wolf confirmed, gazing around the group as if waiting for any questions to arise.

The others unanimously nodded. "Once the others get back, we'll all eat, and get ready to head out. There's not much we need to prepare for really," Ninetales decided.

"Sounds good to me," Wolf nodded, his attention averted as he heard a rustling near the camp entrance. A few moments later Riolu and Oshawott entered, the emanation Pokémon carrying their basket.

"I'll take care of explaining them the plan, as well as Rufflet," Kiara told Wolf before scurrying off towards the two, who seemed rather confused by the small gathering that had just taken place.

The boy nodded with approval, his eyes focusing on his own Pokémon. Trapinch has settled down where he stood and began digging into his fresh-kill, while Treecko was heading towards the tree hollow with Ninetales. Wolf followed after them, since he too needed to eat something else before they left. His backpack was also sitting where they kept their supplies, since he had decided to keep it after all these years, and of course bring it with them when he and Kiara and his partner had left Kangaskhan's den. He was glad he had done so, especially since it was proving to be useful in the near future.

"Do you think we should head out today, Young Master?" Ninetales inquired once Wolf had caught up with the two Pokémon.

Wolf glanced at the sky for a moment. The clouds above didn't help the fact that he was trying to see what time it was by the sun's position. He guessed it was probably around noon, but even so the days were getting shorter the colder it got. It would only be a few hours until it was pitch black. "We could. I guess I forgot that we'd have to find places to sleep every night regardless," he shrugged.

"I don't think that's all too bad. Besides, we might even find a winter shelter while we explore new territory," Ninetales replied optimistically.

"I guess that's true," Wolf sighed as they reached the tree hollow. "We'll leave today then. I'll tell the others once they get here," he decided, stepping around to the side of the tree where the supplies were kept. His run-down backpack wasn't hard to find amongst the more natural created items. As he picked it up and placed it onto his shoulders, he silently hoped this expedition would go as smoothly as they were making it out to be.

Wolf pushed through the camp entrance into the territory beyond with Ninetales, Kiara, and Riolu following after. He couldn't suppress the shiver than went down his spine as a breeze wandered by, proving that this trip needed to be made. He paused for a moment, trying to imagine the land around them in his head. He knew that they had to go south, so heading towards Columius Town and past it would be their best bet. Glancing back at the others, he nodded slightly before turning back around and leading the way forward.

Wolf guessed that the sun might be three-fourths of the way through its cycle of the day by now, though it was still impossible to tell by the sheet of clouds above. He hoped it wouldn't rain while they were out, at least not until they were by somewhere they could shelter until it passed.

As the group continued on in near silence, the piles and piles of leaves covering the forest floor crunched under their footsteps. It was impossible to see the ground now without kicking away some of this debris. Wolf glanced up at the branches of the trees, most of them bare just like the ones that surrounded their camp. A few stubborn leaves still hung on, but every so often a strong gust of wind would pick up and send them floating down to the ground to join their friends. Though the wind didn't help as they tried to stay warm, it was slightly amusing to watch the current of air make the multicolor leaves below dance through the forest.

The world around them began to progressively get darker as the sun continued to head towards the horizon, even though Wolf couldn't see it behind the immovable clouds. A stronger light to his left caught his attention, and just barely the boy could see Columius Town. Normally it would be impossible to see, but with all the usual undergrowth dying off or already dead, the gaps between the trunks provided a clear view. All those who lived there were entering their homes and turning on the lights inside, which beamed through the windows. For the first time in a long while, Wolf wondered how his old home was doing. It had never occurred to him back then what they might do with his stuff.

_Someone else has probably already moved in…It would be nice to just peek in through the window, but I don't remember the location of my house all that well. Besides, we have more important matters to get done,_ Wolf thought. On the bright side, if they were passing Columius Town, it meant that they were headed in the right direction.

Wolf began to head slightly to the west as they continued on in the growing darkness. From what Kiara said, this factory should be south of Kangaskhan's den, which he knew was further west. Now all they needed to do was continue on until they found it.

"Excuse me Young Master, but I think it'd be best if we started to look for some place to sleep for the night before it gets too dark. I still need to hunt, and if you all don't find any berries nearby you'll have to dig into the small amount we brought with us," Ninetales suggested, padding up next to the boy.

"I suppose you're right. We'll find someplace nearby. You go off and get something to eat, and follow our scent to find out where we settled," Wolf instructed, watching as the fox Pokémon nodded and broke off from the group, vanishing into the coniferous undergrowth.

"Does it really matter where exactly we sleep? I mean it's just for one night, and these leaves can make temporary nests after we pile them together," Kiara asked as her gazed traveled around their surroundings.

"I guess not," Wolf snorted. "Let's see if we can find something that at least is a small clearing, even if it will be hard to tell apart from the rest of the forest," he decided, pushing them onward.

It didn't take long for what appeared to be a clearing came across their path, seeing as there was a small section without too much undergrowth, though the blanket of leaves on the ground still remained.

"Is this okay Wolf?" Kiara asked hopefully. She stepped ahead of him and already seemed to be picking out an area to rest in for the night.

"Yeah, this is fine," Wolf gave in exhaustedly. He sat down on the ground, removing his backpack and unzipping it. He pulled out three berries, one for each of them. "Come get your dinner," he called drowsily to the others.

Kiara and Riolu paused from their leaf piling to head back over to the boy, each taking a berry from his hand. They attempted to eat slowly, Kiara biting into her Bluk berry gradually, though it wasn't hard to tell she just wanted to gulp it all down in one bite. Riolu was also struggling with his Pinap berry, looking very hungry.

Wolf sighed in pity for them. Judging by this alone, he could already see that this winter was going to be a long one. He didn't know about Riolu, but Kiara and Wolf had never needed to lower the amount of food they ate in the winter time. Kangaskhan had somehow always managed to have enough for everyone, which was surprising for the amount of Pokémon that lived in her den. Slowly but painfully, even for him, he ate and finished his Cheri berry.

Wolf flinched at the rustling of undergrowth around them. He whipped his head towards the source, but soon relaxed as he realized it was just Ninetales returning from his hunt. However, the fox Pokémon didn't seem to be carrying anything. "Didn't you find something to eat?" he asked in confusion.

"I did, but it was just a small mouse. I ate it where I caught it in a few bites," Ninetales answered simply. "Don't worry about me. Let's just get some sleep for the night," he mumbled softly.

"If you say so," Wolf yawned, turning around to see Kiara and Riolu already lying down in makeshift nests from the leaves around them. When he turned his attention back to his partner, he spotted the fox Pokémon brushing the leaves aside with his forepaw to reveal the ground beneath. He made a space large enough for himself before settling down and curling up in it.

Wolf got up slowly, bringing his bag with him. He stumbled over to the shiny, dropping his backpack to the side of where he was going to sleep. With that, he crawled onto the ground and rested his head on his partner's flank. "Goodnight Ninetales," he mumbled drowsily, sleep soon washing over him like a wave.

***  
Wolf didn't know what time it was when they awoke the next morning. It was impossible to tell with the clouds from the day before, now thicker and darker. The wind had also picked up, and anyone could tell rain was definitely coming, whether it was a rough storm or not. The group quickly had a scant breakfast while Ninetales caught another measly piece of prey, but no one complained as they ate and went on their way again.

Wolf led them onward at a brisk pace. He didn't want to be caught out in the barren forest without anywhere to shelter. The last thing they needed was one of their own to get sick after trekking through the cold in wet clothing. It didn't help that there didn't seem to be any sort of landmarks in sight. The last thing Wolf recalled seeing was the outskirts of Columius Town, but since then, it's been nothing but bare trees and leaf-covered ground.

"Wolf," Kiara was gasping slightly behind him as she and Riolu seemed to struggle to keep up with his hurried tempo. "Can we please take a break? We're exhausted back here!" she breathed in complaint.

"Just a little farther," Wolf encouraged. "I just don't want us to get all soaked from this upcoming rain. There's bound to be a cave or something we can stop in soon, I promise," for once his snippy attitude was contained by his own exhaustion. His feet were starting to get sore from all the walking, not to mention they were still sore from yesterday's trek even after remaining off them while he slept. He honestly hoped that his words weren't just fake optimism.

The group trudged along in silence for a few moments afterwards. It was then that Wolf began to feel a flick of water against his hands and his face here and there, steadily becoming more frequent. "No, not yet!" he hissed in frustration, gazing up at the dark clouds above.

Kiara flinched next to him as a large drop landed right on her head. "Wolf, I think we need to find someplace, and fast!" she grunted, her pace quickening.

Just as Wolf was about to tell her that he was working on that, the clouds released their sustained liquid in more than just a few drops. The rain fell upon them, though luckily it was a steady drizzle for the time being.

"Make a run for it!" Wolf ordered, rushing forward as he covered his head with his arms in hope to block out of some the water droplets. Either way, he and the others were getting wet, and that was the last thing he had wanted.

"Hey Wolf! What's that up ahead?" Kiara called as she dashed at his heels.

Wolf blinked in bewilderment as he began to see broad structures further on in their path. As they got nearer, the boy was even more confused to see that they were buildings. Nonetheless, he led the three sprinting behind him to the front of this building, underneath an awning to shelter them from the rain.

"Is this a town?" Kiara mumbled in disbelief after she had shook her head like a dog, sending droplets scattering around her.

Wolf followed her gaze to the area surrounding them. From the looks of it, it did seem to be a small settlement. Many small, but certainly nice houses lined the quiet streets, and as he turned around he noticed that they were sheltered in front of a small shop. "I don't remember there being any other towns in the south of Latuca…" he murmured in confusion, scanning the streets for any signs of other people. He didn't want them to be caught and questioned about who they were.

"Do you think it's abandoned? This shop doesn't look like it's open…" Kiara inquired, stepping towards the front window of the store. She pressed her forehead against the glass, cupping her hands around the side of her eyes as she tried to see through the darkness inside. "No one's in there," she reported once she retreated back over to Wolf's side.

Wolf examined their surroundings more closely before he answered. All the lights inside the houses seemed to be shut off, so if there were people still living here, no one was home. If that was the case, where did they all go? He stepped forward a bit, scanning the streets until he spotted a building that looked different from both the homes and the stores. The lights were on in this building, shining through the stained glass windows. Somewhere in the back of his memory, the structure looked vaguely familiar…

_A church!_ he realized after a moment. Faint memories of his father taking him to a chapel in some other town on Sunday mornings flashed through his mind. "The town's not abandoned. It must be Sunday. It's still early in the day, so the townspeople are probably at church," he explained to the others finally.

However, as Wolf turned to face them, they seemed slightly confused. It was then Wolf realized that none of them probably knew what a church was, or why all the civilians were gathered there. Either way, the boy didn't feel like explaining it at this given moment. "On the bright side, we can sneak into the alleys of this place while they're all in there. They'll never know we were here, and we can move on and continue to look for that factory," he told them optimistically.

"Don't you think we should try and ask one of them if there's a factory nearby? I mean, what if we're headed in the wrong direction? They could help us," Kiara argued suddenly.

Wolf stared at her as if she had gone mad. "You're kidding, right? We can't show our faces to these people! You never know, they might send us back to the orphanage!" he snapped.

Kiara just stared back at him coolly. "Wolf, you and I both know if we were wanted back there we would've been caught a long time ago. Besides, even if they did send us back, they'd just kick us back out again. You're already ten, and I'll be ten too soon. What are you so worried about? As far as they're concerned, we're just trainers passing through," she sniffed simply.

"Yeah, 'cause every trainer looks like they just crawled out of a dumpster!" Wolf sneered back sarcastically. Just before the feud could get any hotter, the sound of a loud bell chiming throughout the area interrupted the argument.

Wolf gazed around in confusion, his attention focusing on the church. His eyes widened in alarm as he watched the two front doors swing open, as well as a crowd of people beginning to fill out of the building. "C'mon!" he ordered swiftly, grabbing onto Kiara's arm tightly. With that, he dragged the girl with him as he ducked into the space between the shop and the building next to it. He glanced back for a moment to make sure Riolu and Ninetales were following before pushing through the thin space. Finally they emerged into the back alleys, which revealed the plain back doors and stairs of the shops as well as several gray garbage cans sitting against the back walls. "There, they won't find us back here," he sighed in relief. "Let's stick to traveling this way until we're out of this town," he ordered the others.

Kiara tugged away from the boy roughly, her eyes flaring. It was clear she was furious by his sudden actions, even if she wasn't putting it into words.

Wolf ignored her gaze and turned away. "Let's move," he growled, taking the first steps forward.

By then the rain had more or less passed, heading in what Wolf assumed was a northeastern direction. A thin blanket of pale gray clouds still remained overhead, but hopefully it wouldn't be long until the sun showed its face again. As the group continued on silently, the backsides of buildings bordered them on the left while the barren forests shouldered them on the right. Wolf would pause by every alleyway and make sure no one was heading down them before he led the group past. He certainly didn't want anyone at all to see them. At last the boy could see the row of structures end at the town's outskirts, leaving the forest beyond in their sight.

"There, we made it through here without getting caught. If we're headed in the right direction, it shouldn't be long now until we stumble upon the factory," Wolf sniffed with satisfaction, turning around to face the group. However, his eyes widened in alarm to see that Kiara not among them. "Where's Kiara?" he asked in confusion. He glanced around frantically, catching a glimpse of the girl's raven-black hair vanishing down the nearest alleyway.

Wolf quickly followed after her with the two Pokémon at his side. They squeezed their way through the small space, but all unanimously froze upon seeing Kiara already out on the other side and in the town, approaching an elderly man. He was standing in front of the church, and he dressed in white and gold robes. As Wolf thought, he recognized his outfit to be that of a priest.

"Excuse me Mister," Wolf felt shock and fury boil up inside him as he watched Kiara tap the priest on the shoulder.

"Ninetales, go get her before she blows our cover!" Wolf snapped quietly, his eyes focused on the scene.

"Of course, Young Master," Ninetales nodded in return, silently stepping forward as if he were hunting. The fox Pokémon halted and remained in the shadows as the old man turned around to face Kiara, ruining the opportunity to snatch her back.

"Hm? Oh, hello. How may I help you?" the elder inquired with a warm smile towards the girl.

"Do you know if there's any factories nearby, and where I should go to get to it?" Kiara asked politely, her hands locked behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her toes.

"A factory? Well, there's a clothing one not far from here if I remember correctly," the priest turned around, pointing in a southwestern direction. "It's just a few miles that way. It's pretty big, and if you hit the ports, you've gone too far," he explained. "Why do you need to know where a factory is, young lady?" he asked curiously as he turned back around, but his eyes widened in confusion to find that Kiara was gone.

Ninetales had stepped up and snatched the girl by the back of her shirt while the priest was turned away, pulling her back into the shadows of the alleyway. She didn't seem like she wanted to go back out there, but nonetheless the fox Pokémon held his grip on her clothing.

Wolf quickly beckoned for them all to step back before the priest began to look for his friend. Once they were all safely located behind the buildings again, he shot a furious glare at Kiara, who was finally being released by his partner. "What did you think you were doing? He was about to start questioning you!" he snarled.

"_I_ think that I was doing the right thing. I got us accurate directions on how to get to the factory! You heard what he said; we had planned on going all the way to the shore, and if we did, we could've missed it! It didn't hurt to ask him. He was real nice too!" Kiara argued in her defense, seeing nothing wrong with her choice.

Wolf couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kiara was so naïve, that without him, she would've been taken back to the orphanage long ago. Why couldn't she just see that she was being far too at ease in these dire situations? Just as the boy was about to explode on her again, he felt Ninetales's nose push into his leg.

"Relax, Young Master. What's done is done, and nothing went wrong. We're all here and safe. We should keep moving before it gets too dark. Who knows, we might make it to the factory tonight if we spend enough time traveling," Ninetales mumbled encouragingly, nudging the boy forward.

"Fine," Wolf hissed, turning back towards the forest. Once they were safely amongst the trees, he would start to head in the direction the priest had mentioned. "Let's go," he ordered, leading the way forward back to more comfortable terrain.

The group continued onward in the forest, which was much like the deciduous areas they had traveled through to get there. All the trees were nearly stripped entirely of their leaves, which were scattered across the ground in a multicolor mess. Though the sky above was still mostly shrouded in clouds, a break here and there allowed sunlight to shine through and warm the group just a tad before it vanished again behind its curtain.

Wolf couldn't suppress a sigh as he led them as the hours went past. As he glanced around at all the bare bushes, he honestly wished they had brought more food. The only bright side about the situation was that the lack of decent sized meals would help train their stomachs, but that didn't make it any easier.

The thought of his companions only caused his mood to sour as he imagined Kiara trotting behind him, her face smug as she smirked triumphantly about how she had more or less won their argument. She just got lucky that the old priest seemed to be a kind fellow. Mingling with the wrong strangers could get them in serious trouble. Wolf had every right to always play on the safe side.

Despite being in a more familiar environment, something didn't feel right. Ever since they left the town, something had been nagging at the back of Wolf's mind. He found himself fighting the urge to flinch at every rustle of debris in the wind. It felt like something was lurking the shadows, but he couldn't put his finger on it, especially when there weren't any other living creatures besides themselves in sight. The boy glanced back at the others, wondering if they perhaps sensed this disturbance in the air.

His eyes focused on Riolu, who was glancing around anxiously every so often, especially behind them. "What's wrong?" he inquired back at him.

The emanation Pokémon looked up, startled for a moment as Wolf's voice suddenly broke the silence. "Ri ri," he answered quietly.

"He says he feels like there's something watching us or following us, even though he can't see or smell anything unusual," Ninetales translated as he glanced between the two.

"What about you, Ninetales? Can you scent anything odd?" Wolf asked, his own concerns growing once he saw that he wasn't the only one who felt that something was off.

Ninetales paused in his tracks, opening his maw to taste the air. After a moment he closed it again and shook his head. "No, nothing seems different from the usual forest scents," he reported. However, a moment later his ears perked up at a sudden rustling in the coniferous undergrowth. "You all stay here. I'll go investigate, and no matter what, do not make a sound," he growled quietly.

Wolf nodded in return, watching as his partner slunk ahead into the undergrowth. The rustling seemed to be progressively moving farther away as Ninetales's headed towards it. The boy kept his eyes focused on the fox Pokémon's blue-grey pelt until it vanished behind some bushes quite a distance away from their current location.

Wolf stood on the ground with the others, the ongoing silence only making him more and more anxious. It felt like hours were going by and still Ninetales did not return. Despite his request, Wolf was about to get up and go after him. He glanced around, the feeling of something watching them from the forest around them still not ebbing away after all this time. For a moment, Wolf thought he saw a flash of green in the corner of his eye, but as he turned in its direction, there was nothing of that color there.

"He's back!" Kiara's voice startled the boy to the point where he nearly jumped out of his skin.

As Wolf turned his head back towards where Ninetales had first vanished, he spotted the fox Pokémon stepping towards them, a small rabbit dangling from his jaws. He dropped the woodland creature onto the ground before looking back up at his companions. "Is this what was giving you the creeps?" he snorted in slight amusement.

Wolf exchanged a glance with Riolu. He could tell that they both mutually agreed that this wasn't what was giving them that strange feeling, especially since the sensation continued on even now. However, he didn't want to worry Kiara or Ninetales anymore because of an uncalled for emotion. "Yeah," he lied. "Guess we were worrying for nothing," he chuckled awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it. At least I have a meal now. Why don't we take a break? We've been walking practically non-stop since we woke up this morning. Eat something, too. You don't want to be drained of your energy before we make it back home, do you?" Ninetales sniggered cheerfully, settling down where he stood to dig into his fresh catch.

"I guess so," Wolf grunted, also sitting down and removing his backpack. As Kiara and Riolu did the same, he pulled out three Chesto berries from his bag. He recalled specifically packing these just in case they needed a boost of energy, and he would like to get to the factory before nightfall and just rest there. He handed one to each of his friends before keeping one to himself. As the boy began to slowly munch on the fruit, he found himself still glancing around apprehensively, wondering what was really out there and sending chills down his spine.

The group had gotten back to traveling as soon as they were all done eating. The clouds had half faded away, floating back the way they had come. The sun was steadily making its way towards the horizon, causing the sky that was revealed to turn into a warm orange coloration.

Wolf hoped that this factory was close enough to where they would make it before the sun slept for the night. The Chesto berries had helped keep their strength up, but he could feel their effects fading, his true exhaustion attempting to weight down on him heavily.

The boy had tried to put his worries about someone trailing them to the back of his head and focus on pushing forward to their desired destination, but it wasn't easy when it honestly felt like it was following him, no matter how far ahead they moved. Nonetheless, he just hoped it would go away once they reached the factory.

"Hey Wolf, is that smoke?" Kiara's voice broke into his thoughts as the girl sped up so that she was at his side. She was both staring and pointing up at the sky ahead.

Wolf followed her gaze, blinking in confusion as he spotted dark exhaust sustained in the sky, being replaced just as quickly as it faded into the air. He wondered what it could be for a moment before realization hit him like a wave. "Factories produce smoke! We're nearly there!" his excitement gave him a sudden burst of energy as he broke into a run, rushing in the direction that the smoke was coming from.

Wolf could hear the pounding of his friends' footsteps as they ran after him, also motivated by the sign that they were almost at their wanted location. In the distance between the gaps of the trees, which were quickly decreasing in number, he could see a bulky grey-black shape getting larger as they got ever closer.

The boy burst through the forest to see the industrial unit towering just a few feet before them, with long cylinders sticking out from its roof and releasing the smoke into the air. Even from so far outside, he could faintly hear the machinery inside the plant working to create the products that would be sold to shops across the world.

"Look over there!" Kiara piped up excitedly, pointing towards a large bin that was shaped like a dumpster.

Wolf led the way forward with his increase in motivation pushing him on the last bit. As they got closer to it, he spotted a sign on the side that read "Rejects." Even though the large bin looked like it would hold garbage, it smelled nothing like one. He glanced up at an open window above the container, signaling for the others to halt for a moment.

A woman appeared at the window, carrying a plastic basket which looked like it held various pieces of clothing. Without hesitation she tilted the basket over and dumped its contents into the larger bin on the outside. She then retreated back inside, never noticing the presence of the two children and Pokémon.

Once Wolf was sure she wasn't going to return, he beckoned the others forward and approached the container. It was huge, much taller than himself. To the right of the sign, however, he spotted a metal ladder attached to the bin. "I'll check it out," he told the others, grabbing onto the bars and climbing up. A few moments later he was looking inside it, his eyes wide with delight and slight disbelief.

An assortment of different kinds of clothing filled the contents of the large bin, varying from coats to shirts to bottoms and even undergarments and shoes.

"Look at this stuff Wolf! It's all brand new!" Kiara's voiced echoed from the bin's other side, and the boy looked up to see that his friend was gazing down into the array of clothing just as he was. He guessed that there must be more than one ladder.

"I know," Wolf agreed, unable to contain his genuine smile. "I want to take it all, but we should only get winter stuff. Now that we know this factory actually exists, we can always come back when it starts to get warm again," he reminded her, bending further down into the bin so that he could look for something he could wear and fit into.

On the opposite end Kiara had simply climbed right into the container and began digging into the clothing, letting out an excited giggle every time she found something she liked. "Oh, they even have underwear here! And socks! Should we change into this stuff now Wolf?" she called as she began to carry the articles she wanted to keep.

"I don't see why not," Wolf answered as he too started to find things that he enjoyed. Once they were changed, there was no need to keep their old, dirty clothes, so they could just throw them away in the trash cans in that town on their way back.

"Great! I'm gonna go change then. Don't come over to this side of the bin!" Kiara ordered as she scrambled back up to the ladder with a bundle of clothes in one arm.

Wolf watched her go before quickly deciding to change as well, climbing back down the ladder with the clothing he had picked out. He spotted Ninetales and Riolu eying him curiously where they sat, relaxing their aching feet after a long day of walking. He simply ignored them for the time being before removing his backpack first, dropping it to the ground. His shirt, pants, and undergarments soon followed until he was shivering and quickly grabbing his new clothes, trying to put them on fast before he froze.

Within moments the boy felt snug, clean, and warm as he placed his new clothing on. A shirt, hoodie, and black jacket on his upper half were satisfying, as well as some gloves in his pockets for the days that he would really need them. His new jeans and winter boots were sure to be helpful as well.

"Look at me Wolf!" Kiara's call met his ears as the girl appeared around the corner of the container to where the others were gathered.

The girl's new outfit was similar to his own, consisting of new boots and jeans, as well as a red hoodie underneath a large, green, cargo jacket. However, the green garment seemed to be slightly too big for Kiara. "Are you sure you'll be able to function in that?" he questioned, pointing at the jacket.

"Of course! Besides, this leaves room for me to grow," Kiara reassured, gazing down at her clothing in joy.

"If you say so," Wolf shrugged. "Bring your old clothes over here and put it in this pile. We can trash it on the way back home," he instructed.

"'Kay," Kiara nodded, turning around to head back for her old clothing. However, she paused and glanced back at her friend. "Um, Wolf…I think there's someone over there…" she mumbled awkwardly, stepping back over to him.

"What?" Wolf blinked in alarm. Had a worker in the factory spotted them taking their unwanted clothes? Surely they couldn't get in trouble for taking what was basically trash to these people? "Ninetales, can you smell anything?" he whispered to his partner.

"Not with this smog. I can barely scent your own familiar odors," Ninetales grumbled back.

"I think it's hiding…" Kiara murmured, peering around the corner of the dumpster-like structure. "I know you're there. Come out! Don't be afraid," she smiled in a friendly manner, blinking her violet eyes curiously.

"Kiara, you don't know if this thing is hostile!" Wolf hissed at her as he stepped up behind his friend.

"I doubt it," Kiara sniffed back, her eyes widening as a tall green-and-white shape suddenly ran in front of her, dropping her old clothing at her feet.

Wolf blinked in surprise to see a Gallade appear before them from the opposite end of the storage container. He was bouncing on his feet nervously as he eyed the small group, and Wolf noticed that there was something strapped to both of his arms.

The Gallade glanced about the assembly before reaching for the items attached to him and detaching them, dropping them in front of the two children.

"Hey, new backpacks!" Kiara gasped cheerfully, crouching down to examine them. "One for each of us Wolf!" she grinned widely. "Thank you Gallade!" the girl smiled up at the blade Pokémon gratefully.

Wolf was just overall confused as he spotted the new bags now sitting before them. He raised his eyes back to Gallade, his eyes narrowing at the feeling that he was getting from looking at him. "Wait a minute…Did you follow us here? Is that why I couldn't shake off that weird feeling?" he growled challengingly.

Gallade blinked at the boy before nodding slowly. "Gal-Gallade," he mumbled, getting down on one knee and bowing before the boy.

"He says he saw us back in New Beginnings, which I assume was the town's name. He's wild and just lived in the area. He sensed your leadership skills and couldn't resist the urge to join in, but he was too shy to approach you at first. Finally, when we got to the factory, he wanted to bring a peace offering gift, and hoped you would need new objects to carry your belongings," Ninetales translated smoothly.

"Well, you should've come out right from the start! You gave me and Riolu here the creeps! I thought some evil guy or something was following us," Wolf muttered in irritation. However, he wasn't one to turn down an offer for a new addition to the family, especially when just recently he allowed a thief in. "If you really want to join us Gallade, you're gonna have to wait until we get back home. I didn't bring any Pokéballs with me on this trip. Then, if you still wanna stay, you're welcome to, especially since you already seem to want to help out," he smiled at the blade Pokémon.

"This is great! We got all kinds of new stuff, and our family just keeps getting bigger!" Kiara cheered merrily.

Gallade got to his feet, smiling in glee. "Gallade!" he agreed gratefully.

Wolf just smiled at the group as a whole. Their trip had been a success. Their initial goal was complete, and they got a few bonus prizes along with it. However, it wasn't over yet. The journey home still had to be made, and even though the first half of the ride had gone rather smoothly, no one knew what the near future would hold for them.


	7. Chapter Six

Riolu stretched his arms out above him as he padded along with his companions, following after Wolf's lead. Ninetales was on one side of the emanation Pokémon while Kiara was shouldering him on the other. Their newest member, Gallade, was bringing up the rear. After a few, but long, days of traveling, they were finally headed home, where they didn't have to worry about walking so much in a single day on nearly empty stomachs.

The night before, the group had settled down in the woods that bordered the factory to rest. By the time they had all woken up, the sun was already halfway through the sky. Though it wasn't helpful to their needs to get home quickly, it showed just how exhausted they all were. His own feet were still aching when he awoke that morning, and he hoped there was something back in the medicinal store in their camp to help heal them.

While Wolf and Kiara now had new coats for the winter for themselves, Riolu was just barely starting to feel his fur grow out. He doubted he was a Pokémon that was made to last in the cold on its own, unlike Ninetales, since the fox Pokémon not only had a warm pelt but his natural fire powers and hunting abilities proved that he could manage just fine. None of the other Pokémon in their family seemed capable either, but as long as they all helped each other out, together they would live through the harsh winters to come.

There was a chill in the air as the group continued forward. Riolu guessed that right about now the seasons were in the transition phase from autumn to winter. Soon enough the rain would turn into sleet and then from there to the solid form of snow. When the emanation Pokémon recalled his first winter, he remembered being in awe as he watched the flakes fall to the ground, piling up high enough that he could grab a handful in his paws. As fun as it was the first time around, he understood how much harder life in the wild became because of it. He hoped that during this year's cold season, no major snowstorms hit their area, or they would end up having more problems on their plates.

The group continued on in silence with Wolf leading them forward just as he had done this entire trip. Riolu tried to pick up their own stale scents from the previous day to ensure that they were headed back in the right direction, but he found nothing amongst the usual forest odors. He tried not to doubt the boy's leadership skills, but he could definitely say they weren't as admirable as Gallade had perceived them.

A red-orange light began to engulf the landscape as the sun got closer to the horizon the longer the group traveled. Riolu was certainly relieved that they would get to rest soon. Even though they hadn't done much walking that day, he found himself having less and less energy ever since their rations were cut when they left the camp. The emanation Pokémon leaned slightly on Kiara in his growing exhaustion, and the girl helped support him as best as she could with her own fatigue.

Riolu had certainly grown more comfortable around the human girl over all the time they spent together. He had seen so much genuine kindness radiating off her essence whether it was from caring for Rufflet, or just her overall nature. At first the emanation Pokémon had assumed that he wouldn't grow to like humans, especially since they took orders from someone like Wolf all day long.

He didn't understand how that boy's mind worked. All he did was pick fights and find faults in the things his "friend" did when she was just trying to help. Riolu personally didn't see anything wrong with interacting with other humans. It was interesting to see how different ones act when all he did was see the same two every day. He would like to see some different lifestyles for once, and since he has to deal with Wolf's unlikeable personality, Riolu felt like he deserved it. _How do his Pokémon even deal with belonging to such an irritable trainer?_ he pondered with a sigh.

Bulky gray shadows appeared ahead in their path. Riolu soon realized that it was the shadows of the buildings of New Beginnings, their details hard to see with the sun shining brightly behind them. As the group exited the last of the forest, the emanation Pokémon gazed around and noticed that they must be in a separate part of the town, proving his suspicions that Wolf hadn't been leading them in the exact direction they had come from.

Unlike the first backstreets of New Beginnings they had encountered, wherever they were now seemed to be winding alleyways, connecting to the back gardens and garages of the homes of the civilians. To Riolu this settlement seemed more in touch with the nature around it than Columius Town, considering the alleys themselves were dirt paths instead of being made of cement. Unnatural, but strangely warm and welcoming lights glowed through the windows of the houses, illuminating the growing darkness outside as the sun touched the horizon.

"Wolf, don't you think we should stop for the night soon? It's already getting pretty dark," Kiara asked with a glance at the boy.

"We can't. There's no way we can stop and sleep while we're so close to people," Wolf answered simply.

"Well, you took us a different way than last time we came through here, and I don't see the other side of the forest anywhere nearby. Do you expect us to walk all night until we get back to the woods?" Kiara questioned in a tone that suggested how ridiculous the idea was.

"If that's what we have to do, then we'll do just that. I don't care if your feet are about to fall off, we're not spending the night here," Wolf snorted stubbornly.

"_What?_ How do you expect us to keep going, or even navigate through here in the dark? You're out of your mind!" Kiara gasped in disbelief.

Wolf shot her a glare. "No, I'm keeping us safe. You're the one who's crazy if you think we can just sleep in someone's lawn or by the dumpsters next to someone's garage!"

Riolu couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could Wolf expect them to travel so much? The more time he spent living with the boy, the more he grew to dislike him. Though he still didn't understand why his Pokémon followed his orders, why does Kiara especially do what he says? Out of all of them, the emanation Pokémon felt like she was the most independent of the bunch. Why couldn't she just prove a point and stop doing what he said, showing Wolf that he couldn't just push them around all the time?

"Well if you plan on making us walk an extra fifty miles, you better give us a break at least to eat something," Kiara growled quietly.

"Eat what? Ninetales isn't going to find anything to hunt in this area, and there aren't enough berries in my bag to last us until we get home," Wolf muttered back.

"Wolf, I just feel the need to point out that us three Pokémon can eat from the garbage cans if needed," Ninetales piped in to their dispute.

"You're going to eat _trash?_" Wolf echoed disgustedly. "That's gross Ninetales!" he hissed in revulsion.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Young Master. We're all starving, and if we're going to make it back to our camp, something needs to be in our bellies. Now, you and Kiara can sparingly eat some of the berries you have left while we find something edible in the garbage. Though it is not at all required, you two are welcome to join if you want," Ninetales mumbled, veering away from the center of the alleyway to the nearest gray can. "Gallade, Riolu, come help me tip this over quietly," he called with a wave of his tails.

Riolu headed towards the fox Pokémon with Gallade at his side. He didn't see what was so bad about eating from the trash. As far as his nose told him, besides the mixed scents of human things, beneath it he could faintly smell traces of food. His mouth slightly watered at the thought of finally putting something in his empty stomach.

"You two have more strength in your forepaws than I do, so just lightly tip this can onto its side for me," Ninetales instructed once they reached his side.

The two Pokémon nodded and did just that. Gallade carried the weight of the upper half of the bin while Riolu carried the bottom. Together, they quietly placed the gray container on its side without creating anything louder than a small thud.

Ninetales nodded with approval. "Good work. Now, we just have to get the lid off, still being as hushed as before of course. Gallade, I think the blades on your arms could help with this. Try sticking it in the space where the two pieces are connected. You should be able to pry it open without too much hassle," he ordered.

"I'll try it, but I don't think we'll be quiet this way," Gallade answered, pointing his sharp elbows downward and sticking them between the lid and the bin. Giving it a little oomph, the cover broke away from the rest of the container and fell to the ground with a loud clang.

The trio froze in alarm, fearing that the residents of the particular home they were taking garbage from heard the noise. However, several moments passed, and no human appeared at their garden's gate. "Alright, we're okay. Now to get this bag out of there," Ninetales grunted, leaning down and grasping the bundle wrapped in a plastic, black skin in his teeth, delicately pulling it out of the gray can. "All we need is the final touch…" the fox Pokémon paused, unsheathing his claws and slicing through the skin in a quick movement, causing its contents to spill out. "And we've got ourselves a meal!" he cheered in delight, his tongue running over his muzzle.

"Let's hope there's something worth it in here," Gallade sighed as he knelt down next to the ripped open bag, using his blades to enlarge the opening and reveal more of the rubbish trapped on the inside.

Riolu began digging through the waste, searching for something that looked and smelled edible. He picked up a bundle of plastic wrapping in his paws, peeling the layers off to reveal a half-eaten mixture of bread, meat, cheese, and a few vegetables. The emanation Pokémon started to chew into the strange combination, but the taste and the sensation of slowly filling up his empty stomach made it seem like the most amazing thing he had ever eaten. He paused however, fighting the urge to eat the entire thing without sharing. He glanced at Ninetales, who was licking up some blueberries out of a plastic container. "Hey Gallade, you want some of this?" he asked, turning to his other side where the blade Pokémon was situated.

"I'm fine, thank you," Gallade answered. He was already lightly munching on what looked and smelled like thin pieces of potatoes covered in salt.

Riolu hadn't realized until then that Gallade was probably the least starved out of them all. After all, even though the blade Pokémon had lived in the wild before joining them, he didn't have such a strict eating schedule as they did. However, that would all change once they returned to their camp, where their food store was waiting.

The emanation Pokémon went back to looking for more scraps of food once he was finished the mixture of other food he had just found. He continued to dig through the rubbish, picking up certain items that smelled like it could be edible, but tossing it to the side when it was just garbage. He picked up a plastic container that enclosed the strong scent of meat within. Easily prying the cover off, he found a half-eaten chicken sitting inside. Normally his species were omnivorous, but this long dead bird certainly didn't carry a raw scent, and he could faintly catch a hit of smoke in the skin, giving away that it might've been cooked over a fire. Figuring that it was okay to eat, Riolu began pulling the meat off the bones and digging in.

There was still a good portion of meat left when Riolu started to feel full. He didn't expect that small amount of food to fill him up so quickly, but he guessed that with the food rations being so small, his stomach was probably starting to shrink. He glanced at Ninetales, who had gone back to looking for a meal to eat amongst the waste. "Hey Ninetales, there's still some chicken meat left here. You want the rest of it?" he offered, nudging the container towards him.

Ninetales turned his attention to the small plastic bin carrying the remains of the chicken and its bones. He nodded in return to Riolu's offer, leaning over to dig into the small meal. "Thank you," he mumbled gratefully, beginning to crunch the leftovers in his teeth, both bones and meat.

It wasn't long before all three Pokémon seemed unanimously satisfied with what they had found, all their bellies full. Ninetales made an attempt to clean up the mess they had made by brushing all the trash into one big pile around the torn open bundle, but they all knew there was no way for them to clean it properly without alerting the humans that lived here.

"Well, now that we've all eaten, let's get back to the others. They've probably been waiting for us for a while," Ninetales told the two, turning to lead the way to where the two children were sitting in the middle of the alleyway.

Wolf and Kiara didn't look all that satisfied with the small meal they had eaten, most likely consisting of one berry each. Even if it was a Chesto berry, they both looked exhausted, but the boy's stubbornness was pushing him on to get out of New Beginnings. "Alright, let's keep moving," he ordered, getting to his feet with Kiara and taking the lead down the alley.

The pathway wasn't as dark as Riolu had first assumed now that the streetlights sitting next to the garages were lit up, shining through the darkness and lighting their way. He wasn't sure if their meal had really given him energy to travel or not, considering he felt more sleepy now, but at least he didn't have to deal with the pain of hungry anymore. He wished he could say the same about his still sore feet, but he assumed they wouldn't be feeling any better until they got back home.

The alleys winded and intersected many times, and Riolu knew very well Wolf was just leading them around aimlessly, without any clear sense of direction. Not to mention the boy was exhausted whether he would admit to it or not, so he was probably just mindlessly leading them on. However, no one protested to the turns and decisions the boy made, so they group continued on in silence like they normally did.

Riolu began to notice Kiara falling further and further back until she was bringing up the rear of the group. He wondered if she was getting too tired to go on. Perhaps he should tell Wolf that they needed a break? However, as the emanation Pokémon turned to look back at the girl, his eyes widened in confusion to see her consciously going in the opposite direction, towards an open gate that led into the yards of one of the many homes that lined the alley. _Where is she going?_ he thought in confusion, glancing back at the others in the group who hadn't noticed Kiara sneaking off. Making sure that they still weren't paying attention, Riolu silently broke off from the group and scurried after Kiara.

Kiara was already inside the yard by the time Riolu caught up. He didn't understand why the gate was just sitting open to begin with. He spotted Kiara trotting across the square of grass towards the house and quickly followed after her. After stepping onto the stone that bordered the house, the girl climbed onto a wooden crate situated next to a window, gazing inside. Riolu climbed up after her, the light beaming through the glass warm and strangely soothing.

Riolu stared through the window, his previous wonders of what Kiara was doing here replaced with that of the possibility of seeing how different humans acted in their natural habitat. The den inside looked a lot more comfy than the Professor's lab did. There was certainly more color here as well. The floor was carpeted, and Riolu spotted plush-looking pieces of furniture sitting around the room, which he assumed must be things like sofas and armchairs—stuff Kiara had previously told him about. At the bottom of the far wall, the emanation Pokémon spotted a fire burning quietly behind a metal gate and surrounded by bricks that trailed up to the ceiling and vanished.

What fascinated Riolu the most entered the room not a moment later. Two full-grown humans entered this welcoming area, though they did look much younger than Professor Palm. Judging by the smiles on their faces and their overall posture, he guessed that they must be mates. The female human was carrying something small in her arms, while the male gazed at it lovingly and rubbed the top of it. The female also kissed the little bundle, which squirmed slightly in her grasp. She carried whatever it was over to a structure that looked like a cage, but it was colorful and plush just like the rest of the room. She placed it down inside the cage-looking thing, and it was then Riolu noticed it had a face, as well as little limbs.

_That looks like a baby human!_ Riolu thought in amazement. It was so strange. That little scrap looked so different compared to children like Kiara or its parents. It would change so much as it grew. Humans were certainly enthralling. Even baby Pokémon looked relatively the same from birth until they got older, especially if it was a Pokémon that never evolved. Even then, after a Pokémon is fully evolved, it looks the way it does for the rest of its life, no matter how old it got. The pink-skinned, hairless baby looked so helpless now, and he guessed it would be a while before it even walked or had a working mind. _Those stubby little legs won't be taking it anywhere anytime soon!_

An Eevee with a white collar scampered into the room, placing its front paws against the bars of the container holding the baby and peering inside. It wagged its tail excitedly. The male human reached down and scratched the evolution Pokémon on the head while it looked back up at him in return with a gleeful smile. The little family looked so at ease and relaxed entirely.  
Kiara sighed next to Riolu. When he turned to look at her, she was gazing longingly at the scene inside. She looked so sad and lost. "It's beautiful, isn't it? They look so at peace with one another. They don't have any of the worries we do. That little baby will grow up, and the only thing she'll have to worry about is what outfit she wants to wear for her first day of school," she murmured softly. "I wish I could have that kind of family…"

Riolu stared at Kiara in slight surprise. He had no idea the girl had ever felt this way. She never seemed to complain when they continued their same routine every day. In fact, she usually looked relatively happy. Then again, in all the time he had known Kiara, they had never been this close to other humans before, not counting the time they stole the starter Pokémon. It probably made her old wishes bubble up and burst inside her again.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for having everyone I do now," Kiara continued. "But I just don't think this is the life for me…I mean, look at them! They don't have to worry about surviving in the winter; they live in a nice, warm, safe home! They never have to worry about starving because they'll always have the money to feed themselves. And best of all, they all love each other and look out for one another…I know I have that here, but I just don't think I'm meant to live in the wild, as much as I love Pokémon. My Pokémon could live in a home like this too, like that Eevee is doing now. He looks practically ecstatic," she sighed softly, shaking her head. "But I'll never have a home like this. No one's just gonna take in some street rat into a clean, beautiful home."

Before Riolu could come up with some kind of word or gesture of comfort or reassurance, his ears twitched as he heard something coming from the gate.

"Pst!" Gallade was standing just outside the white fence, poking his head into the yard. "Come on! Ninetales sent me to fetch you guys before Wolf noticed you were gone. He doesn't even know that I've vanished. We gotta hurry before it takes too long to catch up to him," the blade Pokémon explained in a hushed tone, but loud enough to be heard across the enclosure, at least by Riolu. He didn't seem at all concerned as to why the two of them were even in the yard.

Kiara cast one last longing glance at the scene within the house before letting out a sigh and crawling off the crate. "C'mon Riolu. We better get back," she mumbled, waiting for him before she left.

Riolu blinked at the girl sympathetically before he too slid off the crate and onto his feet. Together, the two crossed the backyard and met with Gallade, who started to lead the way down the alley to where Wolf had gone.

It took a while to catch up to the boy and his partner even at a brisk pace. It turned out to be true that Wolf hadn't even noticed the three were gone as he was still continuing onward once they caught up and regrouped with him silently. He must be more tired than Riolu had thought. Nonetheless, the group traveled on in silence just as they always did.

Riolu was starting to wish they had let Ninetales lead instead of Wolf. They had been traveling around for so long without any indication of if they were getting anywhere close to a forest. At least with the fox Pokémon, he could somewhat use his nose to find a scent of nature and follow it, taking them there. Then again, they wouldn't need to worry so much about that if Wolf would've simply let them spend the night in New Beginnings. _We should just stop taking orders from him…He's a terrible leader,_ he thought begrudgingly.

Just as Riolu was beginning to think they were going to wander around all night, rows of dark, slim figures appeared ahead. Hope began to rise in his chest as they got closer to it, his eyes adjusting to the growing darkness as the alleyway seemed to break off in a dead end, marking what appeared to be the end of the town. The emanation Pokémon couldn't suppress a sigh of relief as the fresh scent of the forest hit his nostrils and he recognized the familiarity of the countless bare trunks.

"Finally!" Kiara echoed his thoughts with an exasperated groan. "Now can we stop? Who knows how long we've been walking!" the girl stepped up to be in pace with Wolf, shooting him a glare as if daring him to object.

"We can rest as soon as we're well hidden in the forest," Wolf answered simply as he continued on, the trees and other coniferous undergrowth beginning to surround them.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Riolu groaned aloud in absolute frustration. He couldn't believe Wolf was _this_ stubborn. Surely one of the others would refuse and just rest where they stood? However, much to his disappointment, no one else protested. All he received was an empathetic nod from Kiara, which was the only thing that kept him from resting right there and catching up with the others in the morning.

Eventually Wolf halted in his tracks, nodding to the group that it was okay to stop. More or less, they all simultaneously fell to the leaf-covered ground in exhaustion, too tired to even create makeshift nests. Riolu was asleep within a few moments, relishing a break after so many hours of walking.

The following day went on the same as the past few days had gone, consisting of weary travel in the same, desolate woodland with nothing else but bare trees and leaf-covered earth for miles. Riolu was starting to feel his hunger return as his stomach slowly started empty again. However, Wolf had promised that this was the last day they would be roving, as it wasn't very far to their camp now. The emanation Pokémon couldn't wait to be home, but judging how their routine had been going, they might not get there until well after dark.

The group continued on in silence without a single break as the sun made its cycle through the sky, a cloud flittering by here and there. There was really no point in stopping now, considering there were no more berries in Wolf's backpack. The quicker they got home, the sooner they would get to eat again.

As the evening light began to shine through the forest, making everything have an orange shade, Riolu glanced to his right to see the familiar structures of Columius Town. The sight boosted his motivation, because he knew it wouldn't be long now until they stumbled upon the broad leaves that sheltered their camp.

The sun continued to descend towards the horizon as the group also continued on with their own journey. A faint darkness was beginning to settle in just as Riolu was beginning to think that the trip back was much longer than the trip to the factory, but of course that could just be his exhaustion. A gasp of delight escaped his mouth as he spotted familiar undergrowth up ahead. He never thought he'd be so happy to see some leaves!

The group as a whole picked up the pace to make the last stretch, Gallade being the only one confused as he had never seen the camp before. It made no difference to the sense of relief that swept through them all as Wolf pushed through the camp entrance, the rest of them pushing after until they were all inside.

"Come on Gallade, the Pokéballs are over here," Wolf panted quietly, beckoning for the blade Pokémon to follow him over to the tree hollow.

Ninetales was headed in the same direction, though to far more important areas. Riolu and Kiara found themselves anxiously following after the fox Pokémon as he padded swiftly to their food store. The emanation Pokémon resisted the urge to pull ahead and see for himself as Ninetales grasped the large leaf in his jaws and tossed it to the side.

Riolu felt even hungrier than ever before at the sight of so much food in one place. His mouth watered at the thought of digging into to an actual meal, one that wasn't limited or found in the garbage. Almost at the same time he and Kiara dove forward, grabbing two handfuls of berries before falling backwards onto their rumps, biting into the fruit immediately.

Riolu groaned in satisfaction as he chewed into the food, hearing it crunch in his teeth, the savory juices landing on his tongue. He was shoving a berry into his mouth whole just as he was swallowing the first, wanting to eat until he felt so bloated that he wouldn't be able to walk for days. It was such a relief to finally have a stable food source, and to not have to worry about going hungry for extended periods of time. The emanation Pokémon glanced at Kiara while he ate. The girl looked like she was doing exactly as he was. Even though fruit juices were splattered across her cheeks, she didn't seem to notice or care as she continued to feast. She of course had it worse, since she didn't eat any of the garbage Riolu had eaten the night before.

Riolu continued to shove berries into his mouth, though his pace was slowing down as his hunger ebbed away with every piece of fruit he ate. The emanation Pokémon glanced over to his other side, where he spotted Gallade just being released out of the Pokéball that he was captured into by Wolf. Another Pokémon captured, another addition to the family. With their group growing, Riolu wondered if it would be best to keep most of them inside the Pokéballs to lessen the amount of times they needed to be fed. As their unit grew, it would be harder to keep them all fed with their limited food supply.

Nonetheless, he figured that that problem would be solved eventually. Right now all he cared about was that he had food, and best of all that they were home. He could certainly go for a long time without wanting to travel again anytime soon. Riolu finished up his meal, ending up not eating all the berries he had snatched, but either way he felt full and satisfied. Soon he would rest up for another day in this life, wondering what fate would hit them with next.


End file.
